There are few places in the world where 185 million years of history is so visible and easily accessible, and in such a beautiful location.
On the Dorset's Jurassic Coast in the UK it's possible to pick up astonishing fossils on a beach walk, learn about giant ancient sea monsters whose remains are preserved in the rocky cliffs, and see a host of birds, mammals and even all six of the UK's native reptile species along the way.
The Jurassic Coast was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. It winds along the south coast of England for 155 km from Orlop Point in Devon east to Studland Bay in Dorset, and all of it is accessible to walkers via the South West Coast Path National Trail.
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While much of the shore is dominated by cliffs with beaches at their feet, this magnificent coastline features a number of unusual rock formations and coastal habitats. These include the eroded headland known as Harry's Rocks, the stunning rock arch at Lulworth Cove and the 29km long shingle barrier of Chesil Beach that runs from Burton Bradstock to the Isle of Purbeck (a peninsular and not a true island).
Chesil Beach encloses a vast tidal lagoon, known as the Fleet, which is an internationally famous wetland. The highest point on the Jurassic Coast – indeed the highest point along the whole of England's southern coast – is Golden Cap at 191m.
Another 'isle' that is not strictly an island is Portland, a peninsular tied to the mainland by a narrow causeway. It is famous among birders for its Bird Observatory and Field Centre where migrant birds, including very rare vagrants, are often spotted on passage. Just to the east of Portland, back on Purbeck, is the ghost village of Tyneham.
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It was 'temporarily' evacuated after much of Purbeck was requisitioned by the army in 1943 for military training prior to D-Day. But the villagers were never allowed back and it is now occasionally opened as a visitor attraction.
The stretch of coast is named after the Jurassic Period (201-143 million years ago) though, at the western end, there are rocks from the older Triassic period (252-201 millions year ago). Meanwhile the eastern end of the region is largely formed of rocks from the younger Cretaceous period (143-66 million years ago). The entire timezone, encompassing all three periods, is called the Mesozoic Era, so perhaps it ought to be known as the Mesozoic Coast – but it's not quite as catchy!
The central area of the Jurassic Coast around Lyme Regis and Charmouth is said to be one of the cradles of palaeontology (the scientific study of fossils). The cliffs and foreshore at these points expose a sequence of Early Jurassic marine limestones and mudstones of the Blue Lias Formation and the overlying Charmouth Mudstone Formation. There are 71 different rock strata identified at Lyme Regis alone.
For centuries local people had noticed bones, shells and other forms of organisms emerging from the cliffs, which they called “snake stones” or “crocodile bones”. Early naturalists noticed that these creatures were significantly different to any living animals and this led to a questioning of the then current thinking of the Earth's age and how it was formed.
But it was the work of Mary Anning (1799-1847) and her family who made the most significant fossil discoveries including the first scientifically described ichthyosaurs, the first complete plesiosaur and the first British pterosaur. Anning's work would influence Charles Darwin's theory's of evolution.
Even today fossil hunters find the vertebrae, teeth and jaws of marine reptiles. In 2023, an intact 2m-long skull of a pliosaur with 130 teeth was discovered near Kimmeridge Bay by a walker. The entire animal might have reached 12m in length and there are hopes the rest of its body may yet be found.
As well as these giants, there are beautiful coiled shelled fossils of ammonites of all sizes, crinoids (sea lilies), sea urchins and belemnites (shells of squid-like creatures). The best place to find fossils is on the beach where erosion, rain and tides have done the hard work for you and washed the fossils out of the cliffs.
Along with the remarkable remains of long-dead creatures, the Jurassic Coast boasts a healthy living ecosystem. The cliffs are home to peregrine falcons and there are colonies of guillemots, fulmars and kittiwakes around the tall limestone cliffs Dancing Ledge and Durlston Head on the Isle of Purbeck.
Walkers on the South West Coast Path often spot pods of bottlenose and common dolphins and there are increasing sightings of blue-fin tuna. These huge predatory fish can reach up to 2.5m in length and will leap out of the water when hunting shoals of mackerel.
Wildflowers, including rare orchids, are abundant along the chalk and limestone cliffs while at Studland Bay the landscape gives way to lowland heath. Heathland birds such as nightjars and Dartford warblers thrives here and this precious and dwindling habitat is home to rare reptiles such as the smooth snake and the sand lizard.
One notable recent conservation success is the return of the cirl bunting, a small, yellow finch-like bird that was confined to a small area of Devon until recently. It has now bred on the Jurassic Coast and its success is a testament to the protection given to this important and beautiful stretch of shoreline.
