The Field Trip

Anvil Point

We will collect the group from the school at a prearranged time, usually 9am or after registration. The pupils will be dropped off at the school at 6pm and parents/carers will be responsible for making travel arrangements to their homes. Pick up and drop off times are flexible to suit individual school requirements, though a clear 7 hours plus travel time is needed to conduct the field trip fully.

Our first stop will be Durlston Country Park near Swanage, gateway to the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast and home to an array of well preserved Victorian artefacts.

Burngate Stone Carving Centre

From the cliffs at Durlston the pupils will get their first glimpse of the Jurassic Coastline, made up of twisted and tilted layers of sedimentary rocks. They will see bays, headlands, and the stack of Old Harry, as well as the chance to see dolphins and peregrine falcons.

A brief stop at Leeson House serves as a convenient toilet and refreshment break but not before the pupils have walked up the driveway which acts as a Time Line, where they are walked from the beginning of the Earth to the present day with stories and activities to teach the key moments in the Earth's history.

Fossil Hunting at Kimmeridge

A short distance up the hill takes us to the Burngate Stone Carving Centre, near Langton Matravers where the pupils are able to study different types of stone as well as having a go at carving and this is followed by a visit to a working quarry, where the pupils can view first hand the effort involved in the extraction of stone and how it is cut and polished. In the quarry they will see some spectacular fossils including a track way of dinosaur footprints.

Next we head to Kimmeridge Bay, a marine nature reserve run by the Dorset Wildlife Trust and a spectacular setting for the pupils to find their own fossils amongst the broken rocks on the beach. Kimmeridge is also the usual place for a well deserved lunch break (toilets are also available here)

Fossil Find

After lunch we drive up and over the Purbeck hills to our final destination of Lulworth Cove, where the spectacular sights of Durdle Door and the Lulworth Crumple provide tangible evidence of forces which have shaped our coastline. This inspiring location is a great place to unwind and discuss what has been seen during the day.

From the cliffs at Durlston, carving stone at Burngate, the fossils of Kimmeridge Bay and the stunning landscapes at Lulworth, pupils can begin to understand how the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site tells the story of the Earth.