Dancing Ledge fossils and fossil collecting
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 Drive to Langton Matravers, and you will find a car park to the South of the Village, down a narrow road to 'Spyway Barn'.
From here, follow the footpath South through the farm, in a straight line, over the field, and you will come to an old quarry with a board telling you all about Dancing Ledge.
Along the walk, you will pass some stones originally from the old quarry, andpart of the footpath including the steps are also made from the stone.
Although this location is poor for fossils, there is a spectacular view at the end of the walk.
GRID REF: 50.60445°N, 2.00577°W
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Low
Dancing Ledge has some superb views, you can watch the sea crashing against the cliffs, but fossils are few and far between.
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Older Children Only
Dancing Ledge is a bit of a far walk for children and they must keep away from the ledge edge and cliff edge. They must be supervised at all times. |
Poor Access
Dancing Ledge is a remote location, it is a long walk down to the sea. |
Disused quarry
Dancing Ledge is an old coastal quarry cut into the side of a cliff. It has a ledge which you can stand and watch the sea crashing into the cliffs. |
No Hammering Cliff
This site is part of the Jurassic World Heritage Coastline. Please follow the Fossil Code of Conduct. Access is permitted SSSI -
NO HAMMERING THE CLIFF
Damage has already been caused to this heritage site by people using power tools. This is strictly against SSSI rules and any attempt to ignore these rules may result in prosecution. |
Dancing Ledge is an old quarry, the actual shore is not accessible as the sea always hits the ledge. Please keep away from the edge and away from the quarry cliff faces. In particular there is an area that is overhanging that should also be avoided. |
Dancing Ledge
Tide Times
UK Tidal data is owned by Crown Copyright, and therefore sadly we are not allowed to display tide times without paying expensive annual contracts. However we sell them via our store, including FREE POSTAGE
Click here to buy a tide table
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Accommodation
Dorset coastal cottages
We are a holiday agent for 120 carefully selected and inspected cottages within 10 miles of Dorset's spectacular World Heritage Coast and Path. All are old, many are beamy and thatched, most have open fires or logburners plus central heating. Rents include electricity, gas etc. and all linen/towels.
Rentable by the week or 3 day Short Break all year round!!
Please call: 0800 9804070 for a Brochure or visit our website on www.dorsetcoastalcottages.com
Jennifer Owens Direct:
01305 851033 jen.o@dorsetcoastalcottages.com
If you would like to advertise on this page, please 'contact us'.
£10/Year or 'FREE' for return links from accommodation website pages. |
Last updated:
last visited:
Written by: |
28/05/08
2008
Alister and Alison Cruickshanks
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The best fossils are those found within the boulders on the quarry floor. It is highly unlikely you will find fossils within the cliff face. Fossils are best photographed at this location and left for other to view. ....[more]
Some building stones at Dancing Ledge
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Jurassic, 145mya |
Dancing Ledge is Portland Stone. The Shrimp Bed, Titanites Bed, Pond Freestone, Chrt Vein, Listy Bed, House Cap, Under Picking Cap, Bottom Freestone are all present here.
Two cut blocks of Portland stone have been left here to show what they would have looked like when they were cut for building stone. . ...[more]
Small oysters at Dancing Ledge
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Fossils from Dancing Ledge are few and far between, oysters and bivalves are the most common find here. There is a shrimp bed high up, which is not accessible, and you may find fragments within the boulders on the quarry floor, but they are extremely rare.
Fossil oyster within a boulder on the quarry floor
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TOOLS: The rocks are very hard at Dancing Ledge, most fossils are found within the boulders on the floor of the quarry...[more] |
Other Locations similar to Dancing Ledge
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Stone Tumblers |
Microscopes |
Test Sieves for Microfossils |
If you are interested in fossil collecting, then you may also be interested in a stone tumbler (Lapidary). You can polish stones and rocks from the beach which
will look fantastic polished using a stone tumbler.
You can polish rough rock and beach glass whilst collecting fossils, on those days where you come back empty handed.
These are all high quality machines to give a professional finish to your samples. They can even be used for amber and fossils. |
At most locations, you can find microfossils. You only need a small sample of the sand. You then need to wash it in water and sieve using a test sieve. Once the sand is processed, you can then view the contents using a microscope.
We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, you will need a Stereomicroscope for viewing microfossils. The best one we sell is the IMXZ, but a basic microscope will be fine. Once you have found microfossils, you will need to store these microfossils.
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Test Sieves are used when searching for microfossils. Microfossils can be found in many locations, and all you need is a small amount of sample such as clays, sands and shales, or if you have acid, limestone, oolite or chalk.
Our UKGE Store sells Endecotts Test Sieves, which are the highest in accuracy and extremely durable and long lasting. These Test Sieves are fantastic for microfossils. Endecotts Test Sieves come in a variety of sizes, frame material and types, they are certificated to EU Standards. |
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Our International Rock
and Fossil Magazine |
 
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