Jurassic Coast Guides
Jurassic Coast Guides
Jurassic Coast Guides
5
Multi-day ToursWalking ToursSightseeing ToursPrivate ToursDay Trips
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Martin Curtis is a multi award winning tour guide and specialises in fossil walks at Charmouth, walking day tours, charity walks, corporate walking events , single and multi-day tours of the Jurassic Coast. He is a experienced, fully qualified and insured Mountain Leader. Book now to see the best of this amazing world Heritage Site. He is the only guide that covers the full length of this amazing coastline!
Charmouth, Dorset, England
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
442 reviews
Excellent
439
Very good
3
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
TerrenceT51
Herndon, VA3 contributions
Sept 2020
Our family of 6 recently booked a fossil talk and walk with Martin for 2 adults and 4 children(13,11, 7, 6) in early Sep 2020. Martin's talk kept all the children well engaged while also learning and preparing us well for the walk. Martin's talk and walk were critical to both knowing where to look and how to look for fossils which was great value since all the children remained well engaged and had lots of fun as each of them found many fossils. It was a great adventure and highlight of our Dorset trip. We highly recommend it in any type of weather as a fun and informative activity.
Written 10 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Terrence,
Thank you for your kind review, hopefully see you on the beach soon.
Kind regards
Martin
Written 25 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Katie Seaman
3 contributions
Jul 2020
We were gutted to miss our original booking with Martin for the Easter holidays due to lockdown, so rebooked with him as soon as tourism opened up again. We had such a great afternoon! Martin is very engaging and brilliantly held our 8 and 10 year old son's attention throughout his initial talk. He gave us some very useful safety warnings and armed us with enough information and confidence to go out and find an array of fossils on the Charmouth coast. I grew up just down the coast in Sidmouth and Martin even taught me a thing or two about the geology of that area that I hadn't known before. All I was hoping for was a little ammonite but between us, we managed to find quite a collection of ammonites, belemnites, crinoids, iron pyrite, fossilised shells and wood. We were all thrilled with our finds! The afternoon seemed to go by in a flash. I would highly recommend a tour with Martin if you're in the Dorset/Devon area.
Written 31 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Kate,
Thank you for your kind review, It was great to meet you after such a tough start to the year. Good luck with any future fossil hunting adventures!
Regards
Martin
Written 5 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
LMB
5 contributions
May 2021 • Family
We drove four hours to make the 10.15am start of Martin Curtis’s tour, and it was hugely worth the thousand ‘are we there yets?’ on the way. I highly recommend this experience to people of all ages, and it is especially family-friendly. Martin is kind, has a sense of humour, and is clearly passionate about both fossils and education. Using his own collection of fossils, he gave us some training so we would know what to recognize as a fossil on the beach. Without this, we would have been oblivious to many and walked past them, missing out. Also, he did the job (for us) of explaining all the safety risks and beach rules to the family, and this was very helpful and kept everyone safe. He gave a bathroom and snack break before heading off to the beach, he followed CoVid protocols, and he urged us to wear hats/sunblock, so we saw that he is very serious about his group’s comfort and safety. On the foreshore (new word for us there!), he patiently identified every piece the children brought to him in case it was a treasure, and he gave them the first ammonite he found as a souvenir. Thirsty minutes later, when he recognized some Jurassic wood inside a big rock, he cracked it open in front of us and gave each child a hunk of it, pointing out the smell, which was fascinating and a tour highlight. All the while telling us themed jokes, local and historical facts, and answering our many questions. This was such an enjoyable, impressive, relaxed, entertaining and informative morning on a breath-taking beach. The children left a couple of hours later with their Jurassic wood, dozens of ammonites and belemnites, and even some ‘fools gold’! It was great. Don’t hesitate to book, and do it at the start of your trip so the knowledge can then be used throughout.
Written 29 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Leila,
Thank you for your kind review, it was great to meet you all!
It was great to see the children enjoying themselves over the weekend, they'd found some great fossils.
Hopefully see you on the beach soon, good luck with any future fossil hunting trips.
Kind regards
Martin
Written 6 June 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
IPW
1 contribution
Sept 2020
We're a family of four which includes two teenage boys. We did one of Martin's Training Sessions on the beach at Charmouth and he was amazing. He kept everyone hooked and when you're dealing with teenage boys, that's not easy. He stretched the hour long session to nearly two hours and seemed more than happy to keep going until we were all "pros".
I can't recommend him enough, he told us what to look for, with loads of examples, how to look and where to find things, as well as educating us all about the fossils themselves.
A smashing guy, but be warned, Martin is a connoisseur of shockingly bad "dad" jokes, brace yourselves.
I can't recommend him enough, he told us what to look for, with loads of examples, how to look and where to find things, as well as educating us all about the fossils themselves.
A smashing guy, but be warned, Martin is a connoisseur of shockingly bad "dad" jokes, brace yourselves.
Written 7 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Ian,
Thanks for your kind review, it was great to meet you all.
Your talk was a great end to my day... I wish you all the best with any future fossil hunting adventures.
Kind regards
Martin
Written 25 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Estelle H
London, UK14 contributions
Jul 2020 • Couples
I orignally booked the tour with Martin thinking it would be something fun to do for a morning while on our first post lockdown holiday, but we had such a good time that we have already booked another trip to stay nearby in September and my boyfriend is going to be ordering a hammer and safety glasses ready for the trip.
Martin's delivery is really engaging, worked well for us middle aged big kids but would work perfectly for families.
Aside of the fact it was great fun, I feel like nearly two weeks later I could repeat all the key facts Martin told us, showing how clear his teaching was. I also really appreciated the fact he was emphasising that he was going to teach us all we needed to know to go out on our own rather than looking for a way of selling us more guided walks.
Have recommended him to friends already and would have no hesitation recommending to anyone else who wants to learn how to fossil hunt safely and with the best chance of finding fossils.
Martin's delivery is really engaging, worked well for us middle aged big kids but would work perfectly for families.
Aside of the fact it was great fun, I feel like nearly two weeks later I could repeat all the key facts Martin told us, showing how clear his teaching was. I also really appreciated the fact he was emphasising that he was going to teach us all we needed to know to go out on our own rather than looking for a way of selling us more guided walks.
Have recommended him to friends already and would have no hesitation recommending to anyone else who wants to learn how to fossil hunt safely and with the best chance of finding fossils.
Written 20 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Estelle,
Thank you for this great review, I had a great time with you and it's fantastic to hear you've already booked another holiday to come fossil hunting. I look forward to seing you on the beach!
Kind regards
Martin
Written 24 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Zoe M
3 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
Awesome morning fossil hunting on Charmouth Beach! We received a comprehensive safety briefing followed by a memorable, entertaining and catchy lesson on the fossils to be found on the beach. Martin was very enthusiastic, interesting and knowledgeable. We then went down onto the beach and looked for fossils, he indicated some to get us going. We then gradually made our way down the beach looking for fossils and finding a good number by the end (Ammonites, Belemnites, crinoid stalks, marine reptile bones and fossilised wood). He demonstrated breaking rocks carefully with a hammer and found a beautiful Ammonite specimen in the middle of one rock and gifted it to us. We had a brilliant time and we were very successful in fossil hunting under his guidance. We absolutely recommend his tours to anyone!
It was a bonus that he didn't mind us bringing our 4 small dogs along to help with the fossil hunt!
It was a bonus that he didn't mind us bringing our 4 small dogs along to help with the fossil hunt!
Written 16 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Zoe,
Thank you for your kind review, it was a great day on the beach!
Enjoy any future fossil hunting adventures.
Kind regards
Martin
Written 25 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
UK traveller
3 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
Great morning out with our 6 and 7 years olds. Their attention drifted a little during the 1hr briefing but they were tired (been camping) and Martin did a great job of making it engaging for them.
Once our eyes had been trained we found loads of fossils and Martin found and cracked open a rock with couple of lovely ammonites inside. Definitely recommend.
Once our eyes had been trained we found loads of fossils and Martin found and cracked open a rock with couple of lovely ammonites inside. Definitely recommend.
Written 4 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It was fantastic to meet you guys, thank you for your kind review! Hopefully see you on the beach soon.
Kind regards
Martin
Written 5 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jean S
Reading, UK5 contributions
Sept 2020
Martin was very knowledgeable and his introductory talk was both interesting and amusing, the hour went very quickly. When we went onto the beach, it was amazing how we all looked at the rocks differently, we all managed to find fossils and felt very proud to be "fossil experts". This activity would suit families and like us "older people, you are never to old to learn something new. You are on the beach for a couple of hours at least, and Martin's advice about warm clothing was spot on. We felt this was money well spent and would recommend it to anyone who wanted to do something different. You will never look at a beach in the same way again.
Written 26 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Jean,
Thank you for your kind review and an excellent walk, it was great to meet you.
Good luck with any future fossil hunting adventures.
Kind regards
Martin
Written 11 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Shirley A
2 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
A perfect start to any fossil hunting day. Martin was very entertaining (apart from the terrible jokes) and made such a difference to how we walked the beach - knowing how to be safe and exactly what to look for. Highly recommend to all.
Written 28 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your kind review... it was great to meet you all!
Best of luck with any fossil hunting adventures.
Regards
Martin
Written 30 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Happydaysaway4
3 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
I cannot recommend Martin highly enough. Not only was he incredibly informative but he made the whole experience of fossil hunting so exciting. My eleven year old has not stopped discussing fossils and marine life since we left the beach. By the time Martin finished his informative and very fun teaching the whole family set off along the shore with Martin and we knew exactly what to look for. The speed in which we were finding fossils was phenomenal. It was SO exciting and we felt like professional fossil hunters because of our new found knowledge. We are heading off to Lyme Regis today to put our newfound skills and knowledge into good use again. I cannot recommend this experience highly enough and it really suits the whole family. Go for it.
Written 16 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your kind review... it was a great day on the beach! Good luck with any future fossil hunting adventures.
Kind regards
Martin
Written 17 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Please email via the Jurassic Coast Guides website to discuss your requirements.
Regards Martin
Written 25 September 2019
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