The ammonite, the 4 centimetres across, the pyritised (the fool’s gold, the brassy, the glittering in the February sun on the foreshore at the Charmouth), the 190 million years old (the Lower Jurassic, the Sinemurian stage, the same age as the early dinosaurs, the time when the Dorset was at the latitude of the present-day North Africa, the warm shallow sea, the ichthyosaurs the hunting the squid, the plesiosaurs the cruising the surface), and the moment when the fossil hunter’s hammer taps the right nodule and the ammonite emerges from the grey clay, is the essential Jurassic Coast experience. The Jurassic Coast is the 95 miles of the Dorset and the East Devon coast, the UNESCO, the 185 million years of the Earth’s history in the cliffs (the Triassic: 250 M years, the Jurassic: 200–145 M, the Cretaceous: 145–65 M), and the only place in the world where you can walk through the 3 geological periods in the single day. Here are the hidden delights.

hidden Delights of the Jurassic Coast

• The fossil hunting and the Durdle Door, the essential: The fossil hunting at the Charmouth (the essential Jurassic Coast experience): the Charmouth heritage Coast Centre (the free, the fossil displays, the guided fossil walks: the £10 for the adult for the 2-hour walk at the low tide, the essential: the check the tide times before arriving, and the book the 2 weeks ahead in the summer holidays), the essential fossil-hunting kit: the safety goggles (the flying rock-chips from the hammer), the geological hammer, the chisel, and the newspaper for wrapping the finds. The essential: the Charmouth is the best for the ammonites, the Lyme Regis (the 3 miles west) is the best for the ichthyosaur vertebrae and the Mary Anning history (the 1799–1847, the fossil collector who found the first complete ichthyosaur skeleton at the age of 12, and the Lyme Regis Museum on the site of her house: the £8, the essential fossil museum in the UK). The essential fossil-hunting code: the ONLY hammer the loose nodules on the beach, the NEVER hammer the cliff-face (the landslide risk, and the illegal), the keep the away from the base of the cliffs, and the report the any major find to the Charmouth Centre. The Durdle Door (the most famous sight on the Jurassic Coast): the limestone arch, the 140 million years (the Cretaceous, the Portland stone), the walk from the Lulworth Cove (the 1 mile, the 30 minutes, the steep, and the most beautiful short walk in the Dorset), the beach at the Durdle Door (the shingle, the turquoise water, the view that looks like the Greek island on the right day), and the essential: the 7am or the 8pm, the Durdle Door at the sunrise or the sunset, the empty beach, the golden light, and the photograph that is worth the 4.30am alarm. The £5 for the car park at the Lulworth Cove, and the essential: the August car park is the full by the 10am. More UK →
• The Lulworth, the Old Harry, and the Swanage: The Lulworth Cove (the essential geology lesson): the perfect circular cove, the gate of the Portland stone that the sea breached, the soft Wealden clay behind that eroded into the circle, and the best example of the concordant coastline in the world. The walk: the Lulworth Cove to the Durdle Door and the return, the 2 miles, the 1.5 hours, and the essential Jurassic Coast morning. The Old Harry Rocks (the eastern end, the chalk stacks): the Isle of Purbeck, the chalk, the 65 million years (the Cretaceous, the youngest rocks on the Jurassic Coast), the walk from the Studland: the 3 miles, the 1.5 hours, the view of the Isle of Wight, and the best sunset on the Jurassic Coast. The essential: the Bankes Arms in the Studland for the post-walk pint and the £12 fish and chips. The Swanage and the Corfe Castle (the essential Jurassic Coast day out): the Swanage steam railway (the £15 return to the Corfe Castle, the 6 miles, the 25 minutes, the 1940s carriages, and the best steam train in the southern England), the Corfe Castle (the 11th-century, the National Trust, the £12, the ruin, the most dramatic castle ruin in the Dorset, and the essential: the walk the 2 miles back to the Swanage over the Purbeck hills for the best view of the castle), the Swanage beach (the sand, the gentle, the Punch and Judy show on the pier, the free, and the best family beach on the Jurassic Coast).