Stimulating walking, fabulous views, quaint villages and historic towns are all along Yorkshire’s Dinosaur Coast. Each step takes you into history as you explore the evidence of millions of years along this intriguing coastline.
This search for history starts at the fishing village of Staithes which is steeped in folklore with its quaint old houses and pubs. It ends at Filey Brigg, just a short walk from Filey town. Each walk along the Dinosaur Coast is easy to follow and each section has its own historical facts described. As you walk you will find where dinosaur footprints have been found, and if you search carefully you might find your own set as there are still fossilised prints on the shore to be found today. Every year the cliffs erode to reveal more evidence of these great creatures. Fossilised bones of Icthyosaurs, Plesiorsaurs and crocodiles have been found in the alum shale along the coast from Staithes to Filey and the whole shore is a haven for fossil hunters where ammonites abound.
Millions of years after the dinosaurs became extinct the Roman Army built its fortified signal stations along the coast, some with gory secrets! As you walk past Kettlness, where the Romans built a station nearby at Goldsborough you can still see the remains of something which played a big part in the history of the Dinosaur Coast, alum mining. Below the cliffs is a grey plateau which is where the alum mining took place. It was in this Alum that a plesiosaur was discovered. Alum was used in the fixing of dyes in cloth and was big industry along the coast between here and Ravenscar.
Jet, the black gold of the coast, was found in the cliffs. It was polished then made into fine jewellery, it was very popular with the Victorians. You can still buy jet today made locally in Whitby.
I hope you enjoy your walk into history along the Dinosaur Coast, and you never know you might even discover a dinosaur of your own!