The science of the Jurassic Coast: Dorset and Devon, England

Highlights

• Hear from leading experts in geology and palaeontology including Lewis Dartnell, Darren Naish and Doctor Anjana Khatwa.
• Coastal path walk towards Lyme Regis’s famed East Beach and Black Ven accompanied by Kieran Satchell,Learning & Engagement Officer at Lyme Regis Museum. Learn about a 199 million-year-old ecosystem where various species would have called home.
• Enjoy a talk from Doctor Steve Etches MBE who led the team that uncovered the most complete Jurassic pliosaur ever found. Which, became the subject of a new David Attenborough documentary teaching us more about these deadly predators.
• Explore the Jurassic Coast by sea on a cruise with a local geology expert. Sail along one of the most breath-taking parts of the British Coastline.
• Enjoy a private tour of the Lyme Regis Museum, former home of fossil hunter Mary Anning. Learn about how some of her discoveries were the most significant geological finds of all time.
• Dinner and drinks with tour experts, New Scientist team and guests.

Meet the expert

Professor Lewis Dartnell

Lewis is a research scientist, presenter and author based in London. He graduated from the University of Oxford with a first-class degree in biological sciences and completed his PhD at University College London in 2007. His books include The Knowledge, Origins and, most recently, Being Human: How our biology shaped world history.

Kieran Satchell 

Kieran is a palaeontological science communicator. He was an ambassador for the Jurassic Coast Trust (JCT) for over 3 years, primarily focused on giving educational talks about the local paleontology of Dorset and further afield. In 2016 he spent 5 monhts as an intern for the Judith River Dinosaur institute in Montana, US, out in the field digging for dinosaurs including Stegosaurus and Haplocanthosaurus. He now works as the Learning & Engagement Officer at Lyme Regis Museum and will lead the walk on day two.

Darren Naish

Darren is an author and palaeozoologist who works on dinosaurs, ancient sea reptiles and flying pterosaurs. He received his PhD in palaeontology from the University of Portsmouth in 2006. He has published numerous books, mostly recently Ancient Sea Reptiles and Mesozoic Art (with Steve White), and he blogs at Tetrapod Zoology (tetzoo.com), where he writes about all manner of zoological topics. He also works for the BBC Natural History Unit and is chief scientific consultant for the Apple TV+ series Prehistoric Planet.

Doctor Steve Etches MBE

Steve was originally a plumber by trade and began collecting fossils from the Kimmeridge Clay over 40 years ago. Completely self taught, what began as a hobby has now resulted in a collection of over 2800 fossils which are now on display at his amazing museum, The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life in Kimmeridge. Steve has become a renown expert on fossils from the Kimmeridgian. Steve, often described as a ‘modern day Mary Anning’, has received numerous awards in recognition for his dedication to the world of Palaeontology.

Doctor Anjana Khatwa

Anjana is an Earth Scientist specialising in bringing stories about the origins and formation of natural landscapes to life for a wide range of audiences. She has appeared as a ‘super-contributor’ on BBC Four’s three-part series, Beach Live, where she was the show’s resident geologist expert, engaging audiences with her insight and knowledge about geology and fossils. 

Her debut non-fiction book, The Whispers of Rock, is a global story of how rocks have not only shaped our world but also our lives. It will be published as a hardback in September 2025 by Little, Brown (UK) and Basic Books (US).

Anjana has won multiple awards over her stellar career in the geosciences including Royal Geographical Society Geographical Award, the RH Worth Medal by the Geological Society of London and the prestigious Halstead Medal from the Geologists’ Association. In 2020, she won a National Diversity Award as a Positive Role Model for Race, Faith and Religion.

Dr Liz Martin-Silverston

Liz is a palaeobiologist at the University of Bristol. Her research interests lie in the evolution of flight, particularly looking at understanding how pterosaurs took to the skies, and using CT scans in paleontology. She is now a technical specialist and runs the tomography facility in EarthSciences.

Chris Woodward

Chris became an ambassador for the Jurassic Coast Trust back in 2015 and focussed not only on links with formal education but also those with specialist interest groups and museums. Chris Participates in geology events such as the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, Sidmouth Science Week, the Jurassic Coastal Trust’s Evening Cruises, the Exmouth Festival, as well as working with Exmouth’s Town Team on their Dinosaur Trail and Tourist Information staff’s CPD.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• A full programme of talks and visits.
• Two nights’ accommodation, based on 2 people sharing a room.
• Two breakfasts, one lunch and two three-course dinners. (Please advise in advance if you have dietary requirements and we will confirm if we cater for them).
• A full instruction pack sent two weeks before the event.
• Return transport from Exeter to Lyme Regis in a coach on day 2.
• Return transport from Exeter to Exmouth Harbour in a coach on day 3.
• 24-hour onsite support.
• Onsite parking.

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

• Travel insurance.
• Transport to venue.
• Lunch on day two.
• Additional snacks, drinks or alcohol.
• Additional nights' accommodation.
• Single room supplement 

HOW TO GET THERE

This weekender begins and ends at the Mercure Southgate Hotel, Exeter, EX1 1QF.

Arriving by car: Via the M5, exit at Junction 29 and take the A3015 towards Exeter City Centre. Continue into the city for 2.5 miles (4 km), through 2 roundabouts and right at 2 fork junctions. You then come down a hill (Heavitree Police Station on the right, Pyramids Pool on the left) and arrive at a large roundabout. Take the 1st exit off the roundabout onto Western Way (Plymouth via the A38). Turn right at the 1st lights onto Barnfield Rd then 1st left onto Southernhay East. The hotel is down the hill on the right. Parking is included.

Arriving by train: There are three train stations in Exeter. Exeter Central is located an approximate a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Exeter St Thomas is located an approximate 12 minute walk from the hotel. Exeter St Davids is located an approximate 20 minute walk from the hotel.

Arriving from outside of the UK: The nearest airport to Exeter is Exeter International Airport (EXT).

WEEKENDER START AND END TIMES

The weekender will begin at 18:00 on Friday evening with the first talk at 18:30. The talks will finish at 12:15 on Sunday afternoon, followed by lunch. You will then be transferred to Exmonth Marina by coach for the coastal cruise. You will be transferred back to the hotel in Exeter where the weekender will end at around 17:15.

Hotel check-in is available from 15:00 on Friday. A member of the New Scientist team will be on hand at the hotel from 15:00 to help answer any questions you may have. Checkout will be at 12:00 on Sunday. There will be somewhere to leave your luggage.

PACE AND PHYSICALITY

This is a low-medium impact event. The talks will be held in a private conference room with comfortable seating. The main walking element will take place on day 2 when you visit Lyme Regis beach. This morning you can be expected to walk up to 3 kilometres during this morning excursion. This will be at a very steady pace. We strongly recommend that you wear sturdy walking shoes during this day as the terrain will be very uneven and may be slippery.

On the afternoon of day 3, you will embark on a cruise along the Jurassic Coast. During the cruise, the boat can be affected by the winds. If you are prone to sea sickness, we suggest you bring some suitable medication with you for this.

We will provide transport in comfortable coaches for the excursions on days 2 and 3.

WEATHER

Although the climate is temperate in May, we strongly advise that you bring weatherproof clothing as the weather can change and we will be outside for the walk on day 2 and during the cruise on day 3. There is an indoor area on the boat.

CAPACITY

For this weekender, there will be a maximum capacity of 100 guests. Discovery group tours generally operate at much smaller capacities, between 14 - 22 guests. However, our weekenders work slightly differently, they are based in one location and involve a series of highly engaging talks from a number of distinguished speakers as well as an offsite activity. During the visit to Lyme Regis, the group will be split into smaller groups of around 20 people for the various activities. 

SOLO TRAVELLERS

Our group tours are perfect for solo travellers, as travelling as part of an organised group provides security and peace of mind in faraway places.  If you want your own room, you will need to pay a solo supplement of £145 for this weekender. If you are willing to share, we will always do our best to match you up with another solo traveller of the same sex so that you don't have to pay for a single room.

AGE RESTRICTIONS

Children are welcome, but must be aged 12 or over. Please bear in mind that the level of the talks and activities are aimed at adults.

Accommodation

Mercure Exeter Southgate, Devon, England

A contemporary 4-star hotel located in the heart of Exeter. The hotel is a a short walk from Exeter's wonderful cathedral and its main shopping precincts. Each of the rooms are tastefully decorated and offer en-suite bathrooms. Facilities include a spa with heated pool, sauna and fitness room.