Open Ground
Charmouth & the Jurassic Coast
Fossil shore · keep what washes out · Charmouth & Lyme Regis, Dorset, England
Open groundThe prize. Ammonites, belemnites, and the chance of an ichthyosaur after a storm
Where. Charmouth & Lyme Regis, Dorset, England
Status. Open ground
Where. Charmouth & Lyme Regis, Dorset, England
Status. Open ground
The account
Mary Anning found her first ichthyosaur on these cliffs at twelve, and the sea is still paying. The grey ledges shed ammonites with every tide; after a winter storm the foreshore glitters with them. Follow the collecting code, take what the sea has loosened, never hammer the cliff, and the fossils you gather on the beach are yours.
Leads, where the trail points now
- What you can keep: Ammonites, belemnites, and the chance of an ichthyosaur after a storm. Confirm the site's current rules and any day fee before you go.
- Where: Charmouth & Lyme Regis, Dorset, England. West Dorset Fossil Collecting Code, collect loose fossils on the foreshore (yours to keep); cliff digging is dangerous and forbidden; important finds offered to a museum first.
- Best practice: record anything notable, leave the ground as you found it, and check the latest access notices before you travel.
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The starting brief, the gear, the legal picture for this exact ground, and a GPS chart pack you can load and go. The map stays free.
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