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Home / Type of trip / Coast / Fossil hunting on the Isle of Wight

Fossil hunting on the Isle of Wight

February 8, 2014 by Gretta Schifano 21 Comments

Yaverland beach. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Yaverland beach. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Family fossil walks

The thing is with fossil hunting that you never know what you’ll find. The end of winter is the best time of year to go – I learnt this on a guided family fossil walk on Yaverland beach in the Isle of Wight. I was were there with my husband and the youngest one October while the eldest was on her Spanish exchange trip. Our guide, Martin, explained that the winter weather causes cliff erosion which can reveal dinosaur fossils. I imagine that when it’s safe to venture out once the current weather in Southern England settles down there will be some interesting new fossil discoveries.

Fossil finds

Martin led our small group along the sandy beach explaining what to look for and entertaining us with tales of the dinosaur fossils which have been found here over the years. The thrilling thing is that anyone can find these fossils: it’s just about being in the right place at the right time. A few years ago nine year-old Isle of Wight resident Daisy Morris had a pterosaur named after her – Vectidraco daisymorrisae – because she’d found the fossilised remains of a previously unknown species four years earlier.

125 million years ago there were lots of dinosaurs in this area and their fossils can now be found around the island. Martin told us to look for anything black and show it to him, because it could be the fossilised remains of dinosaurs or of wood from log jams.

Fossil hunting, Isle of Wight. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Fossil hunting, Isle of Wight. Copyright Gretta Schifano

As I listened I became more and more determined to find a dinosaur fossil. We all kept spotting black things on the sand and showing them to Martin. I found a little black stoney thing which he said was a fossilised cast from inside a bivalve. Then I spotted an interesting grey, ridged stone which was pronounced a 100 million year old ‘gutter cast’ – apparently these can form in the dips left in the sand by water. The walk felt like an intensely absorbing treasure hunt.

Dinosaur Isle

Our fossil walk began at Dinosaur Isle, a purpose-built museum which houses the island’s fossil and geological collection. Dinosaur Isle is well worth a visit and its expert paleontologists can help you identify any fossils you show them. Although it was sunny when we set off on our walk it slowly became so windy that we had to turn back. We plodded along against the force of the wind, still hoping to find a dinosaur fossil. The youngest was cold and fed up by this point and I was starting to think we’d never find one when Martin took pity on us and gave me a dinosaur fossil he’d just found which is millions of years old. It’s the one with the black centre at the front of the picture:

Fossils from Yaverland beach. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Collected from Yaverland beach. Copyright Gretta Schifano

It’s fossilised dinosaur poo and it made my day.

Cost

Our Dinosaur Isle guided family fossil walk cost £5 for adults, £3.70 for children and is bookable in advance. To find out more about fossil hunting in the UK check out the UK Fossils Network website which also has a helpful fossil hunting code of conduct.

More on the Isle of Wight

You can read more about our trip in these posts:

Things to do in the Isle of Wight with kids

Secret rocket testing in the Isle of Wight

A family friendly hotel in the Isle of Wight

Family car review – a Skoda Yeti on the Isle of Wight

Holiday snaps: Yaverland, Isle of Wight

Disclosure: We were guests of Dinosaur Isle for the purposes of this review.

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Related

Categories: Coast, UK
Tags: Dinosaur Isle, Fossil hunting, Isle of Wight

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Emily @amummytoo says

    February 12, 2014 at 12:40 am

    Stunning scenes. My son is mad about all things prehistoric so he would love a spot of fossil hunting.
    Emily @amummytoo recently posted…Win a set of food canisters and a bread bin from Brabantia’s Platinum rangeMy Profile

    Reply
  2. emma says

    February 10, 2014 at 9:16 pm

    What a great thing to do –
    ‘travel inspiration’ indeed!
    can’t wait to get back to the Isle of Wight and follow in your tracks!
    Emma.
    🙂

    Reply
  3. Kara says

    February 10, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    Want to take the kids fossil hunting but our local beaches are all out of bounds at the moment
    Kara recently posted…Bigjigs Fantasyland Jigsaw PuzzleMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Fritha says

    February 10, 2014 at 12:08 pm

    this looks like so much fun! We used to go fossil hunting as children, can’t wait to do it with Wilf when he’s a bit older
    Fritha recently posted…Brighton, weekend in picturesMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Sam @happyhomebird says

    February 9, 2014 at 11:48 pm

    This kind of activity makes me so excited to get out exploring. I was dinosaur obsessed as a kid and I would love to do this. On a similar vein I’ve recently become interested in history and I follow a mudlarking group on Facebook and love seeing what they uncover at low tide on the banks of the Thames – quite often they find fossils in addition to medieval shoes and Roman coins….makes me quite giddy. Thanks for a interesting post that I’m pinning for future reference. Sam x
    Sam @happyhomebird recently posted…Sunny winter walkMy Profile

    Reply
  6. MummyNeverSleeps says

    February 9, 2014 at 9:08 pm

    Would LOVE to do this with my little boy! And can imagine him giggling his head off at dinosaur poo 😉
    MummyNeverSleeps recently posted…She’s Hearing VoicesMy Profile

    Reply
  7. mellissa williams says

    February 9, 2014 at 8:41 pm

    When my son was young we used to go fossil hunting. The Isle of Wight is a lovely place to visit 🙂

    Reply
  8. Cass@frugalfamily says

    February 9, 2014 at 8:35 pm

    How amazing is that – I’d love to do that x
    Cass@frugalfamily recently posted…#PerfectSunday – Cinnamon Toast Recipe….My Profile

    Reply
  9. Trish - Mum's Gone To says

    February 9, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    This makes me think of Geology lessons. Must have been very exciting – glad you got the old poo in the end!
    Trish – Mum’s Gone To recently posted…First column goes liveMy Profile

    Reply
  10. hannah staveley says

    February 9, 2014 at 8:15 pm

    Looks like you had lots of fun .x

    Reply
  11. Mrs. Chasing the Donkey says

    February 9, 2014 at 6:11 pm

    Well now this dinosaur poo has also made my day. How freaking cool.
    Mrs. Chasing the Donkey recently posted…Croatian cures you need to know!My Profile

    Reply
  12. Coombemill - Fiona says

    February 9, 2014 at 3:26 pm

    What a great excursion, ideal for all the family with the added excitement of discovery. How wonderful to have a dinosaur named after you – what a claim to fame for little Daisy. Thanks for linking up and sharing your outdoor adventure with Country Kids.
    Coombemill – Fiona recently posted…Silent Sunday / Project 52My Profile

    Reply
  13. Emma says

    February 9, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    Oooh, looks FANTASTIC! My kids would love that. x
    Emma recently posted…A Day in Year RMy Profile

    Reply
  14. Bek says

    February 9, 2014 at 12:16 am

    Wow! I used to love finding fossils. Your post has brought back lots of lovely memories of my childhood :-). Looks like you had a great time!
    Bek recently posted…Weekend BoxMy Profile

    Reply
  15. Jenny says

    February 8, 2014 at 10:27 pm

    I grew up on the Isle of Wight so used to go fossil hunting every weekend with my parents 🙂
    Jenny recently posted…My Bathtime Fun SquadMy Profile

    Reply
  16. Mumof2.com says

    February 8, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    Looks like you had a successful fossil hunting day! popping over from #CountryKids
    Mumof2.com recently posted…50 things to do before you are 11 and 3/4 – updateMy Profile

    Reply
  17. TwinsplusTwo says

    February 8, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    Those look really impressive. My youngest son has developed a passion for fossils recently – I will show him your photos! I’m not well travelled at all – I would love to visit the Isle of Wight.
    TwinsplusTwo recently posted…Feminism? I prefer Realism!My Profile

    Reply
  18. Tanya says

    February 8, 2014 at 5:49 pm

    I didn’t realise there was such an excursion, my Lewis would love this..I have also wanted to visit Isle of Wight for a while now.. looks beautiful.
    Tanya recently posted…YOU Beauty Discovery Box – FebruaryMy Profile

    Reply
  19. Love All Blogs says

    February 8, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    I so need to do this – it’s so close to me that I have no excuse!
    Love All Blogs recently posted…365 #6 {Signs of Spring…}My Profile

    Reply
  20. Clare Mansell says

    February 8, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    I’d forgotten that the Isle Of Wight is well known for its fossils. We are planning a weekend on the island in a couple of months, might have to include this in the trip!
    Clare Mansell recently posted…Little Adventures… On The BeachMy Profile

    Reply
  21. Charlotte says

    February 8, 2014 at 5:09 pm

    Wow that is so awesome! I’d love to do that some day 😀
    Charlotte recently posted…Bath time bubbles with Thomas & FriendsMy Profile

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 10 things my kids have learnt on holiday - Mums do travel says:
    March 24, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    […] to find a dinosaur fossil. We went on a brilliant guided fossil walk on the Isle of Wight and came back with some unexpected dinosaur remains in the form of fossilised […]

    Reply

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

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