The Lyme Regis Gruntodon

Sunday 8 August 1993. We were in Lyme Regis, leaning over the sea wall to see if the tide had gone out far enough for us to walk round to the fossil beach to search for the fossilised remains of the legendary ellipigerossacow.

Note Dad's left knee which, amazed at being in shorts and seeing daylight, is talking excitedly to his other knee! Alas, the tide was in, so the fossil hunting had to wait until we had had a look round the town.

We found some shops filled with spectacular fossil finds to give us an appetite for bashing away at a few rocks!

Then the tide - or most of it - went out and we set off, clambering over the breakwaters and falling into deep rock pools that the tide forgot to take with it...

We were heading for the dark bit of cliff at the left of this photo. By now we were all knackered and the tide had gone out far enough for us to walk round instead of climbing over the breakwaters. [puff!] [pant!] Thank you tide...

Signs warned that the cliffs are dangerous and liable to fall at any time. It didn't seem to be worrying people all around who were smashing away at them with geologists' hammers. We hadn't come scientifically equipped and instead rooted around at the masses of already fallen rock that make up the beach. Every now and then there came a shout and the sound of sliding rock and once or twice chunks bounced off the back of some twit who was trying to tunnel into the wall with all his might... There were lots of fossils to be found actually, but most had been there long enough for the tide to smooth the detail away a bit. I did find a quite large chunk of rock that quite obviously had a bone running through it, but it was far too large to attempt to smuggle off the beach and too heavy to carry anyway!

And then we came across this huge chunk of rock with the fine, though badly sea-worn fossils. Logic pointed to two ammonites that had died quite close to each other - perhaps they were sweethearts or related or something? But of course there is the tantalising possibility that they were the nostrils of the huge Gruntodon, all straight hair and curly teeth, that in the old stories does not get a single mention at all... I got Dad to sit near them to show the size and another rare glimpse of his knees...

And then of course we had to walk all the way back, but at least it was in sunshine this time. We were still wildly optimistic and picking up odd bits of rock. I found a rare blue piece with jagged edges. I could just make out the primitive brand that some caveman had etched onto the neck of this once-beautiful creature. It said "venir of Babbaco..."

But I did find a genuine fossil. It was a small ammonite. Very small and somewhat broken. In fact it could have been a snail... But it was pocket sized and could be brought home and still to this day (at time of re-writing this article, it's April 2023) it makes up a small part of my fossil collection. Well, I mean the fossil is small. It makes up 100% of my entire fossil collection... By heck! And it's only Sunday! How can this holiday top that?!? Oh... it can... it can...

Return to Sidmouth and Devon Holiday 1993 Index Page