Isle of Wight Dinosaurs & Fossils

Discover the Isle of Wight’s prehistoric past

125 million years ago, the land which now forms the Isle of Wight was a perfect habitat for
dinosaurs. Today, the 11 mile stretch of coastline between Compton and Sandown, known as the Wealdon Outcrop is one of the richest sources of dinosaur fossils and dinosaur bones in Europe.

Nicknamed ‘Dinosaur Island’ the Isle of Wight has yielded the remains of more than 20 different species of dinosaur, including those belonging to Britain’s largest dinosaur from the Sauropod family, at 26 meters long! Discover the fascinating history of the Isle of Wight dinosaurs and try your hand at fossil hunting on the Island’s fossil-rich south-west coast.

The best places for fossil hunting

Grab your bucket and spade and make your own discovery at Compton Bay, one of the best fossil beaches on the Island. At Hanover Point you can follow in the footsteps of the dinosaurs at low tide, when an impressive track of dinosaur footprints and foot casts are exposed in the rock. Inspire the next generation of palaeontologists with a visit to this fascinating area of coastline, followed by a visit to one of the Isle of Wight’s dinosaur and fossil museums.

Fossil finding facts:

• Almost every beach on the Island will have fossils of some sort.
• Hanover Point is a great place to see dinosaur footprints.
• Dinosaur fossils are usually black due to the minerals in the Earth.
• Take any finds to the Dinosaur Farm Museum which offers an identification service.
• In 2004, fossil hunters on the Isle of White discovered bones from a dinosaur estimated to weigh as much as 50 tonnes!

Dinosaur Isle - Interactive Dinosaur Museum, Sandown

For an unforgettable interactive dinosaur experience, head for Dinosaur Isle, a fully interactive and hands on museum in Sandown. Hear the roar of a dinosaur, smell a real Cretaceous park and watch the experts at work in the laboratory.

Complete your prehistoric experience with a walk through a reconstructed landscape as it was 125 million years ago and see life-sized models of the dinosaurs, including a robotic, flesh eating Neovenator (a relative of T-Rex) and real life fossilised remains of animals and
plants. A professional palaeontologist will also be on hand to identify any of your own fossil finds.

Dinosaur Isle prices, tickets and opening times from Red Funnel Ferries.

Guided fossil walks for all the family

Both Dinosaur Isle and The Dinosaur Farm Museum offer guided fossil hunting walks to areas of geological interest on the Island. These walks give you the chance to ask
questions whilst exploring the fossil-rich beaches in search of your own discoveries.

For more information and to check availability or to book a fossil walk, please contact the museums directly or check out our guide to Isle of Wight days out.