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Accommodation 

If you want to go fossiling during the day, but don't want a long trek back to the hotel, then try the Hensleigh Hotel in Lower Sea Lane, it's only 300m from the seafront. Reachable on 01297-560-830 (no e-mail address yet), the Hensleigh offers both B&B and half board. I've stayed there and had a very nice time. Interested? Call John and Caroline Davis for more information.

Where to stay in Charmouth.

The above photo was taken from the carpark by the light of a setting sun, just after a VERY heavy cloudburst!

Warning !!! 

If you visit Charmouth in the near future and plan to do some walking along the West Dorset coast path, be prepared for the following:

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Both sides of the River Char, the coast path is closed within 200 yards, and diversions are in force. Maps have been posted showing suitable diversions. Walking on the closed paths could lead to a £400 fine!

Charmouth Fossils 

This is a photo of Tony Gill, from Charmouth Fossils, showing one of the medium-sized ammonites (Asteroceras) that they currently have on display.

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The shop is on the Charmouth seafront right under the Heritage Centre. They can be contacted via 

"Charmouth Fossils, c/o A.J. and A. Gill, Lower Sea Lane, Charmouth, Dorset DT6 6LL"

or via telephone: 01-297-560-020.

or via the website: http://www.charmouthfossils.co.uk/catalogue/

The Old Forge Fossil Workshop  

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The Old Forge Fossil Workshop is located at the top end of Charmouth high street. Being a workshop, more effort is put into preparing fossils rather than on fancy display cases. Ideal if you know what you are looking for. They can be reached via 

"The Old Forge Fossil Workshop, The Street, Charmouth, Dorset"

or via telephone: 01-297-560-005.

The Fossil Shop 

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Aimed squarely at the tourist, The Fossil Shop in Lyme Regis combines fossils with fancy displays, as well as selections of books and 'new-wave' articles. They can be reached via 

"The Fossil Shop, 15, Broad Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3QE"

or via telephone: 01-297-445-977

or via e-mail fossils@lymeregis.net

Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre

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Situated on the seafront at Charmouth, the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre provides information on local fossils and geology, local marine and seashore life, coastal wildlife and local history. They also run escorted fossil hunts and seashore walks, under the guidance of Katherine Bone, who is currently the Senior Warden. The center's 'Jurassic Theatre' has shows titled 'Finding Fossils at Charmouth' and 'The Secrets of the Sea'.

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Admission is free and the center is usually open between 10:30 and 17:00 over Easter, the Summer holidays and the Autumn half term. There is a small fee payable for the guided fossil hunts, etc. The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre is up the stairs, the lower door is the entrance to the Charmouth Fossil shop.

For up to the minute details of opening times and guided fossil hunts, ring them on 01-297-560-772, or e-mail them direct via info@charmouth.org. 

Please tell them you read about them on these webpages.

Chris Pamplin 

Chris Pamplin runs a number of more specialised guided field trips. These include one day outings that study 'Fossils and rocks of the Lower Lias', 'Near shore deposits, sedimentary structures, trace fossils' and 'Upper Jurassic of Portland, fossil forest'. These outings start at £5.00 per head for a party of 10 or more. 

chris_pamplin@hotmail.com

http://www.fossilwalks.com

For those with deeper interests, Chris also runs some two day outings that include 'Lower Jurassic, Blue Lias, Source rocks for oil, Milankovitch cycles, ammonite graveyard', 'Middle Jurassic, Bridport sands, reservoir rock for oil' and 'Upper Jurassic Corallian beds'. These outings start at £10.00 per head. Please tell Chris you read about him on these webpages.

Useful links

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    • Dr Ian West from the Department of Geology at the University of Southampton, has an interesting web site related to the Southampton Oceanography Centre. It has some excellent images and texts, that relate to some of his students field-trips, to the Dorset coast line around the West Cliff area. Dr West's particular viewpoint in the web site, is that of a sedimentologist and as the team-leader of the student's field work. His main specialisation is the 'Purbecks' area of east Dorset.

  • The British Geological Society has most of the books mentioned on the previous pages.

  • This geocities.com website has an extensive listing of fossil collecting sites.

  • http://www.nb.net/~downs/downsrm.htm has a good collection of rock collecting links.

  • 'Discovering Fossils' is an education resource dedicated to British Fossils, Fossil Collecting Locations and the Geology of the UK.

  • Bristol University has a good list of Geoscience Servers.

  • Lois Wakeman B.Sc. has several webpages devoted to the Jurassic geology in the area:

  • For further information on South Dorset, visit the outdoornet.co.uk website which had the following to say: Lyme Regis is itself a busy resort, but the coast either side on this western extremity of Dorset continues to delight: west, a long wooded undercliff runs into Devon, where the coast remains superb all the way. East, the fantastic landslips of Black Ven and, beyond Seatown, Stonebarrow hill, sites of pilgrimage for geologists and geographers. Fossil hunters abound here since the landslip is so active that new stuff is continually being exposed. Black Ven, however, is dangerous in wet weather being notoriously unstable, and great care and caution should be exercise along this coast, since being cut off by rising tides is another real risk. Seek advice before setting out. You can drop them an email at enquiry@outdoornet.co.uk.

Collecting fossils in other areas

Useful Books

These books are available from Nigel J. Clarke of  NJC Publications

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LYME BAY FOSSILS
ISBN 0 907683 01 0
Retail £2.50 (approx)
The layman's guide to the famous fossil rocks of Lyme Bay, with advice on what to look for, photographs and a map of fossil sites, rewritten in 1998 with new illustrations.

2002 Tide Tables for Lyme Bay & Portland
Retail £1.00 (approx)
Essential information for the serious and the amateur fossil hunter. Allows you to plan your fossil collecting and beach walking in safety.