Discover the Jurassic Coast and Explore the Dinosaur Footprints of Spyway Quarry
- Wayne Munday
- 5 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Sip back and discover the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Jurassic Coast in Dorset and explore the dinosaur footprints at Spyway Quarry found between the villages of Langton Matravers and Worth Matravers. Spyway Quarry preserves over 130 fossilised sauropod footprints dating back to the Early Cretaceous Period around 140 million years ago. As the largest publicly accessible dinosaur footprint site in the Purbeck Limestone Group the Quarry offers visitors a rare opportunity to walk where giant long-necked dinosaurs once roamed a lost lagoonal ecosystem shaped by ancient seas, barrier islands and fringed by forested wetlands now exposed along the South West Coast Path and managed by the National Trust.
Spyway Quarry offers a rare and significant glimpse into an Early Cretaceous world of dinosaurs and the footprints provide an insight into their behaviour shortly after the transition from the Jurassic Period into the Cretaceous Period.
These footprints were first recognised in 1997 by quarry workers Kevin Keates and Trev Haysom who noticed a series of shallow bowl-shaped impressions in the exposed limestone surface. Further investigation confirmed that these fossilised tracks were of sauropodomorph dinosaurs a long-necked herbivorous giant that is distantly related to brachiosaurids.
The dinosaur tracks at Spyway Quarry are preserved within the Bottom Freestone layer of the Stair Hole Member part of the Durlston Formation of the Purbeck Limestone Group a sedimentary sequence that records lagoonal and marginal marine environments from the earliest part of the Cretaceous Period specifically the Berriasian Stage dated to between 143.1 – 137.7 million years ago.
The tracks vary in size from 25 cm to over 1 meter in diameter and most are interpreted as pes or hind foot impressions with a smaller number of manus or front foot prints are preserved.
The wide spacing and alignment of some of these prints suggest a wide-gauge gait, typical of large-bodied sauropods moving through soft mud. While continuous trackways are difficult to trace due to erosion and incomplete surfaces several track clusters show patterns that may indicate the movement of multiple individuals potentially hinting at social behaviour such as herd movement. Interestingly, some elongated grooves once interpreted as tail drag marks are now understood to be impressions of fossilised wood a common feature in the Purbeck Limestone.
The scientific study of dinosaur tracks known as ichnology dates back in Britain to the early 19th century. Today over 300 track sites have been documented across the country. However, well-preserved, publicly accessible sites like Spyway Quarry are rare particularly those that feature sauropod tracks.
A majority of UK dinosaur footprints are tridactyl (three-toed) and belong to carnivorous theropods or herbivorous bipedal ornithopods (meaning “bird-foot”). Sauropod tracks are relatively uncommon and tend to occur in isolated localities such as the small theropod footprints on the Late Triassic beds of the Mercia Mudstone Formation at Bendrick Rock in South Wales.
Also over 200 dinosaur footprints were found at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire. An exposure of Middle Jurassic oolitic limestone from the Ardley Member of the White Limestone Formation revealing five extensive trackways likely made by Cetiosaurus a massive 18-metre-long, long-necked herbivorous sauropod related to Diplodocus. The fifth was created by Megalosaurus, a powerful bipedal carnivore measuring six to nine metres in length and is recognised as the largest known predatory dinosaur in Jurassic Britain.
Dinosaur footprints are an essential part of the fossil record. Even in the absence of skeletal remains they provide critical data on locomotion, posture, gait, and behaviour. From trackway analysis, paleontologists can infer whether a dinosaur walked on two or four legs, estimate the walking or running speed, stride length and even potential social behaviours such as traveling alone, in herds for protection or packs for hunting. The shape and orientation of footprints also reveal details of foot anatomy such as toe arrangement, weight distribution and the presence of claws. The rock in which the tracks and footprints sit also helps to reconstruct the paleoenvironments these animals once lived offering clues to their habitat and environment.
Whether you're passionate about paleontology, fascinated by the natural history of the Jurassic Coast, or simply seeking one of the best places to see dinosaur footprints in the UK, Spyway Quarry is a must-visit destination. As the largest accessible sauropod tracksite in Britain, it offers an extraordinary opportunity to walk in the footsteps of long-extinct giants while exploring the rich geological heritage of Dorset’s Purbeck Limestone Group. With its stunning coastal views, fossil-rich limestone beds, and direct access via the South West Coast Path, Spyway Quarry combines scientific significance with scenic beauty. Plan your visit to this unforgettable fossil site and uncover the story of dinosaurs on the Jurassic Coast.