School Trip Area Choices
/ Isle of Wight Trip Activities / Seaside / Beach / Wight Coast Fossils
COASTAL EROSIONDINOSAURSFOSSILSOne of the best places on earth to come face to face with the ancient past, the Isle of Wight has a rich fossil record spanning 130 million years, from the dinosaurs of the early Cretaceous to the freezing tundra of the last Ice Age.
Wight Coast Fossils organise expert-led fossil hunting and geology tours around several of the Island's key fossil sites. These are suitable for all ages.
Wight Coast Fossils is ideal for all ages
Here's some of the most frequently-asked questions about school visits to Wight Coast Fossils, posed by teachers and other group leaders
Most are booked for 1 or 2 hours (2 hours is most popular) but some schools book several at different sites across the space of a week.
Wight Coast Fossils do not have a specific base - instead they will meet you at any beach of your choice. The 3 main fossil grounds are at Compton Bay, Brook Bay and Shanklin Chine but there are plenty of alternative quality locations too if they fit better with your wider itinerary.
This can be arranged and appropriately supervised. Specialist equipment, goggles and gloves will be needed and this can all be arranged in advance.
On arrival you will be met by a staff member from Wight Coast Fossils who will give a safety briefing and set out the objectives for the session
At Compton and Brook, there will be a short talk on the dinosaur footprints that are scattered across the beach and they'll be pointed out during the walk.
Fossil walks begin with an introduction to the area, and example fossils to look out for and a brief safety talk. Then the children are tasked with finding their own fossils and bringing them to be identified. If anything of particular interest is spotted, everyone will be gathered around to point it out. Some schools like to have "show and tell" sessions at the end of the trip.
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