There’s something magical about a family trip to the beach, especially when that beach is just a short 30-minute drive from home, and packed with ancient history beneath your feet. We’re incredibly lucky to live so close to the stunning Welsh Heritage Coast, and although we’ve visited the same stretch many times before, it never fails to surprise us. It felt long overdue for another adventure, and what better way to spend a crisp autumn day?
This time our destination was Southerndown, in the Vale of Glamorgan, a place as rich in scenery as it is in prehistoric secrets. With sheer cliffs towering above, and the waves constantly carving the shoreline below, it’s the perfect hunting ground for early Jurassic sea creatures fossilised in stone. Ammonites, gryphaea (or as our kids prefer, “dinosaur claws”), and countless other remnants of Earth’s distant past are hidden everywhere for those patient enough to look.
And look we did! Between laughter, exploring rock pools, and dodging the incoming tide, we discovered a few exciting fossils to bring home. They’ll get a proper clean later, and the kids are already arguing over whose is the coolest find. To them, we weren’t just walking along the beach, we were paleontologists uncovering real dinosaurs. That kind of imagination makes every stone feel like a treasure.
Although the rain held off, autumn certainly made its presence known. The sky hung low with heavy grey clouds, and a strong coastal breeze had us bundled up snugly, hats pulled tight, hands buried deep in pockets. It might not have been a sunny summer beach day, but there was something brilliant about the moody atmosphere that only added to the rugged charm of the cliffs.
After a few hours of adventure, climbing, laughing, fossil-hunting, and making memories, it was time to head home. The promise of a warm bath for the kids, and a hot coffee for the grown-ups, felt like the perfect ending.