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Forums > Social Chat > Fossil Hunting and similar fun things..?
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Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom
Posted:
I'm trying to find stuff to do which is fun and free, except for transport, in the UK. Walking, hiking, that's all good and fun, but I'd like to do something more rewarding. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on fossil hunting or anything similar to that on the south coast of the UK (not south west, but anywhere else along the coast). I'd also love to know about and shell beaches... you know the kind, beaches where you can't move for shells and there are interesting ones like cowries and such.. Thanks. I've been searching the web for ages but haven't found much for the casual enthusiast of fun.
Apart from fire, obviously, but then I know how much fun that is
I'm trying to find stuff to do which is fun and free, except for transport, in the UK. Walking, hiking, that's all good and fun, but I'd like to do something more rewarding. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on fossil hunting or anything similar to that on the south coast of the UK (not south west, but anywhere else along the coast). I'd also love to know about and shell beaches... you know the kind, beaches where you can't move for shells and there are interesting ones like cowries and such.. Thanks. I've been searching the web for ages but haven't found much for the casual enthusiast of fun.
Apart from fire, obviously, but then I know how much fun that is
What a wonderful miracle if only we could look through each other's eyes for an instant.
Thoreau
BRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,136 posts
Location: Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,136 posts
Location: Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Posted:
lots to be found on the beaches around Lyme Regis. If you do a search you'll find loads of info online. Myself and Sir_Sheep sat at the bottom of a cliff this summer with little rock hammers, but several hours and many blisters later we'd only found a few anomites. The really interesting stuff is found by professionals with death wishes, who go out during storms and land slips to find stuff. They of course have proper drills and other devices which are totally cheating. If you search even harder you'll find a Lyme bay HoP contingent, so you may even get a spin on the beach if you visit with your hammer
lots to be found on the beaches around Lyme Regis. If you do a search you'll find loads of info online. Myself and Sir_Sheep sat at the bottom of a cliff this summer with little rock hammers, but several hours and many blisters later we'd only found a few anomites. The really interesting stuff is found by professionals with death wishes, who go out during storms and land slips to find stuff. They of course have proper drills and other devices which are totally cheating. If you search even harder you'll find a Lyme bay HoP contingent, so you may even get a spin on the beach if you visit with your hammer
SILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom
Posted:
Ah, I was worried that'd be the case. I don't mind though - finding something is better than finding nothing! I'm just a natural scavenger and could quite happily spend days at a time pacing the beach finding shells and frosted glass and stuff... I just really enjoy it. I'll check out Lyme Regis, thanks! I really just had no idea where to start with these things!
Ah, I was worried that'd be the case. I don't mind though - finding something is better than finding nothing! I'm just a natural scavenger and could quite happily spend days at a time pacing the beach finding shells and frosted glass and stuff... I just really enjoy it. I'll check out Lyme Regis, thanks! I really just had no idea where to start with these things!
What a wonderful miracle if only we could look through each other's eyes for an instant.
Thoreau
GOLD Member
Pirate Ninja
3,882 posts
Location: Galway/Ireland
Pirate Ninja
3,882 posts
Location: Galway/Ireland
Posted:
just dont spin hammers....
coz that would hurt...
just dont spin hammers....
coz that would hurt...
Love is the law.
GOLD Member
veteran
1,459 posts
Location: Dublin, Ireland
veteran
1,459 posts
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Posted:
what are you gonna do with all the shells & stuff? make things?
if you like making stuff, you can also look out for pieces of driftwood to carve. you don't even need to be good at carving wood. driftwood often comes in such strange shapes already, very little carving necessary, bit of sanding, polishing, staining perhaps..... get my drift?
you could also dig in the sand for fulgurites
make yourself a kite and and see how high you can get it to fly on the beach.... endless fun....
sketch.... paint...? beaches are wonderful places for drawing/painting as the colours in the landscape change continuously
try your hand at sandsculpting....
lots of free entertainment to be had on beaches
what are you gonna do with all the shells & stuff? make things?
if you like making stuff, you can also look out for pieces of driftwood to carve. you don't even need to be good at carving wood. driftwood often comes in such strange shapes already, very little carving necessary, bit of sanding, polishing, staining perhaps..... get my drift?
you could also dig in the sand for fulgurites
make yourself a kite and and see how high you can get it to fly on the beach.... endless fun....
sketch.... paint...? beaches are wonderful places for drawing/painting as the colours in the landscape change continuously
try your hand at sandsculpting....
lots of free entertainment to be had on beaches
My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely 
GOLD Member
Mand's Girl....and The Not So Shy One
2,723 posts
Location: Calgary, Alberta Canada
Mand's Girl....and The Not So Shy One
2,723 posts
Location: Calgary, Alberta Canada
Posted:
Doh...see...I'm useless when it comes to UK geology since I haven't really studied it.
What I recall...the beaches are gravel beaches, and most of the gravel seems to be chert (microcrystaline quartz) that washed out of some of the chalk cliffs....I think.
You might want to look at some of the University Geology department sites for UK Schools. They often do field trips for fossils and minerals and such...
Doh...see...I'm useless when it comes to UK geology since I haven't really studied it.
What I recall...the beaches are gravel beaches, and most of the gravel seems to be chert (microcrystaline quartz) that washed out of some of the chalk cliffs....I think.
You might want to look at some of the University Geology department sites for UK Schools. They often do field trips for fossils and minerals and such...
Solitude sometimes speaks to you, and you should listen.
SILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom
Posted:
Thanks for all the advice people! Good plans Fab.. Fulgurites are cool! Never heard (or thought) of that before... I'm gonna try and get some And carving sounds like fun, I've never tried but driftwood is plentiful and beautiful. The shells and things I find.. well, they usually end up in jars on shelves and thigs, so perhaps making something of them is another good idea!
Spitfire - That;s a really good idea. I'm going to get on local uni websites and check out some geology departments - thanks a lot!
Thanks for all the advice people! Good plans Fab.. Fulgurites are cool! Never heard (or thought) of that before... I'm gonna try and get some
And carving sounds like fun, I've never tried but driftwood is plentiful and beautiful. The shells and things I find.. well, they usually end up in jars on shelves and thigs, so perhaps making something of them is another good idea!Spitfire - That;s a really good idea. I'm going to get on local uni websites and check out some geology departments - thanks a lot!
What a wonderful miracle if only we could look through each other's eyes for an instant.
Thoreau
old hand
725 posts
Location: Chester, UK
725 posts
Location: Chester, UK
Posted:
You forgot the small rockslide we witnessed flid
You forgot the small rockslide we witnessed flid
Spoiling Christmas for small children since 2003.
BRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,136 posts
Location: Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,136 posts
Location: Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Posted:
Surely sulgurites are only really found on dunes and in deserts? If lightening strikes on a normal coastline it'll hit the clifftop not the beach
Surely sulgurites are only really found on dunes and in deserts? If lightening strikes on a normal coastline it'll hit the clifftop not the beach
BRONZE Member
old hand
1,107 posts
Location: In a test pit, Mackay, Australia
old hand
1,107 posts
Location: In a test pit, Mackay, Australia
Posted:
Lyme is a little bit overrated now as all the decent stuff gets hoovered up by the professionals, you have to be there soon after a storm or rockslide to get anything other than a few brachiopods these days.
You might want to have a look at the Jurassic/Cretaceous sections on the Isle of Wight (Atherfield to Compton is a particularly rich section, often you can find weathered dinosaur bone there, it's the type locality for big dinosaurs Iguanadon Atherfieldensis, Eotyrannus and Neovenator too). Down Surtsey way in Dorset you can find loads of shark teeth. You generally won't find anything of interest in chalk, unless you're really into coccoliths, but anywhere along the coast that isn't Tertiary clay will give you fossils of some sort.
If you're near Portchester the foreshore near the castle is rich in stone tools and some Roman artifacts.
EDITED_BY: Eera (1101167541)
Lyme is a little bit overrated now as all the decent stuff gets hoovered up by the professionals, you have to be there soon after a storm or rockslide to get anything other than a few brachiopods these days.
You might want to have a look at the Jurassic/Cretaceous sections on the Isle of Wight (Atherfield to Compton is a particularly rich section, often you can find weathered dinosaur bone there, it's the type locality for big dinosaurs Iguanadon Atherfieldensis, Eotyrannus and Neovenator too). Down Surtsey way in Dorset you can find loads of shark teeth. You generally won't find anything of interest in chalk, unless you're really into coccoliths, but anywhere along the coast that isn't Tertiary clay will give you fossils of some sort.
If you're near Portchester the foreshore near the castle is rich in stone tools and some Roman artifacts.
EDITED_BY: Eera (1101167541)
There is a slight possibility that I am not actually right all of the time.
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,638 posts
Location: Brum / Dorset / Fairy Land
3,638 posts
Location: Brum / Dorset / Fairy Land
Posted:
Go chill at studland - one of my favouritest beaches - and go Dune Jumping
Go chill at studland - one of my favouritest beaches - and go Dune Jumping
Geologists do it in the dirt................ 
GOLD Member
veteran
1,459 posts
Location: Dublin, Ireland
veteran
1,459 posts
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Posted:
ever tried sandboarding? if you can snowboard you can sandboard
ever tried sandboarding? if you can snowboard you can sandboard
My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely
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