Britain | Rock and goal

Treasure-hunting on England’s Jurassic Coast

Fossils on a conveyor belt

Fossil hunter searches for fossils at the base of the cliffs on Charmouth beach, Dorset.
Photograph: Panos Pictures/ Tommy Trenchard
|Charmouth

Along a stretch of England’s southern shoreline, gangs of small children roam the beaches wielding hammers and searching for remains in the rocks. This is not some post-apocalyptic scene, a day at the seaside via Cormac McCarthy, but the mark of an increasingly popular pastime.

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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Rock and goal”

From the September 21st 2024 edition

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