Once upon a time, before anyone had heard of dinosaurs, Dorset residents used to stumble upon oddly shaped stones on the beach and sell them as curiosities.
The curved sea creatures we know as ammonites were called “sea serpents.” As for the belemnite mollusks, they were called, rather picturesquely, “devil’s fingers.”
They were later found to date back millions of years, and many of these “curiosities” are now on display at the Natural History Museum.
It all happened on the pebble beaches and crumbling cliffs of the Jurassic Coast, near the pretty seaside town of Lyme Regis.
When I go with my better half, we can’t resist going fossil hunting. To this day, the coastline continues to erode, uncovering relics of long-extinct species.
Thomas W Hodgkinson heads to the seaside town of Lyme Regis to hunt for fossils, play ‘real tennis’ indoors and eat seafood
Pictured is the terraced house Dorset House in Lyme Regis, where “breakfast is an event”
Above you can see the pretty harbour of Lyme Regis, which is located on the Jurassic Coast.
Fossils of prehistoric ammonites (above) can be found on shingle beaches near Lyme Regis
We head for Monmouth beach, from where the Duke of Monmouth launched his ill-fated rebellion, and find it full of fossil hunters. It’s a strange sight. They’re all crawling over the pebbles, looking down. Alas, we come away empty-handed.
Dorset HouseOur mooring is a beautiful Lyme townhouse run by Jason Martin and his wife Lynn.
Breakfast is a real event, with delicious, locally sourced ingredients. All rooms have a solid iron key, much better than key cards that don’t work.
And I’m thrilled to discover that Jason is, like me, a real tennis fan.
That’s the kind of tennis that Henry VIII played. It’s played indoors, with odd nooks and crannies where you can hit the ball. It’s also the most beautiful racket sport. Of the few courts in England, Hyde Tennis Club near Lyme is one of the best.
When Thomas visits Monmouth Beach (above), it is “packed with fossil hunters,” but he leaves empty-handed.
Serene: Holidaymakers relax on the beach and promenade at Lyme Regis
Thomas discovers Lyme Regis has a ‘thriving restaurant scene’
Actual tennis aside, the highlight of any visit is the crowded and delightfully messy Lyme Regis Museum.
Here you’ll find a table that once belonged to the eccentric Victorian palaeontologist William Buckland – the strange thing is that he made it from coprolites (dinosaur droppings).
One of the less misguided acts of Buckland’s life was the financial assistance he gave to the Lyme Regis fossil collector Mary Anning.
She had a knack for finding them, but her achievements went unnoticed until recently. Now she is a heroine who is taught about in schools and the protagonist of a slightly risqué film, Ammonite (2020), played by Kate Winslett.
Perhaps our most surprising discovery in Lyme is its thriving food scene. Helmed by celebrity chef Mark Hix, the Oyster and Fish House serves tender, locally caught octopus with spicy patatas bravas – the best thing I eat when I’m in town.
Then, of course, there’s fish and chips – for the best, look no further than the Hive Beach Café in nearby Burton Bradstock.
I can also recommend the Coquilles St Jacques (scallops with potatoes and Gruyère cheese) at Millside. They are phenomenal.
And you’d probably have to be a full-grown plesiosaur to eat the lobster, shrimp, crab cakes (and more) from the restaurant’s towering seafood platter.