The Dinosaur Coast, a dream destination

In 2001, at Speeton near Filey in North Yorkshire, a fossil collector discovered the remains of an almost complete Lower Cretaceous plesiosaur. Only the head was missing. It was a truly remarkable find and in 2008 it found pride of place in the newly restored Rotunda Museum in Scarborough. Across the corridor in another gallery is a display called Ancient Seas. I had just started as CEO of Scarborough Museums and Galleries in 2018 when Ancient Seas opened to the public. The cases in this gallery contain an astonishing array of fossilised specimens mostly discovered along the Yorkshire Coast, or should I say, the Dinosaur Coast.

Reputedly, the brainchild of William Smith who is sometimes called the Father of Geology, the Rotunda, which opened in 1829, is one the earliest publicly accessible museums in the World. Although tiny compared to other museums, it is often seen as the spiritual home of geology in the UK today. In reality, it is a cabinet of curiosities, because its displays also include objects from Scarborough Museum’s archaeology and social history collections. Visitors to the Rotunda can learn a lot about the history of Scarborough, starting 200 million years ago and taking in more recent history such as Star Carr (c9300 BC) and the Gristhorpe Man (c2000 BC).

It would be remis of me not to mention the Whitby Museum in this context. Beautifully presented, it is one of those museums which retains a look and feel reminiscent of the 19th century. This charming repository is jampacked with a plethora of artefacts which reflect Whitby’s rich history, including some very fine fossils.

SEA LIFE Scarborough is also an important part of this narrative. Apart from anything else, both sharks and jellyfish existed during the dinosaur period (there are fossilised crocodile skulls at the Rotunda). In fact, we are incredibly lucky to have two beautiful museums and a world class aquarium which tell the story of life on earth from the microcosm of Yorkshire’s Dinosaur Coast.

A fascinating fact about the Dinosaur Coast, exemplified by the Speeton Plesiosaur, is that from time-to-time significant discoveries are still being made, often due to coastal erosion. In 2018 example, a visitor from West Yorkshire found a fossilised walrus skull at Reighton. This can also be seen at the Rotunda Museum. And then, in 2021 a group of scientists found a huge dinosaur footprint at Burniston, also near Scarborough, thought to be made by a giant carnivore like a Megalosaurus. Currently in storage and waiting conservation, I was privileged to accept this find into the Scarborough collection when I was CEO.

What this says to me is that from a paleontological and geological perspective the Yorkshire Coast is internationally significant, which means that if marketed correctly, the Dinosaur Coast, as a destination concept, is a huge opportunity for coastal tourism. This might seem obvious, but the fact remains that the impressive Jurassic World exhibition is in York, not Scarborough. Clearly, there is work to be done, but we are fortunate to have the building blocks in place. Together the Rotunda Museum, SEA LIFE Scarborough and Whitby Museum already act as unofficial hubs from which visitors can go out and explore the wider topography.

For me, the strength of the Dinosaur Coast is that it is relatively untouched. What I mean by that is that it hasn’t been over developed. Last week for example, Runswick Bay was included in the Daily Telegraph’s list of the most beautiful seaside villages in Britain, and I can see why. From North to South, Staithes, Runswick, Sandsend, Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay, Scarborough, Filey, Flamborough and Bridlington, are picture perfect seaside destinations, brimming with historic charm. To say they are living museums would be going too far, there are significant economic and social challenges for many residents, but the Dinosaur Coast, if promoted correctly and with the right partnerships in place can deliver a number of economic benefits.

Next year we will be celebrating Scarborough’s 400th anniversary as Britain’s first Seaside resort. Led by North Yorkshire Council, the initiative is called Scarborough 400 and will bring together partners and local stakeholders to deliver projects yet to be determined. So, if we’re going to be in a celebratory mood, maybe this would be the perfect time to re-launch the concept of the Dinosaur Coast.

Tourism in the UK is facing significant challenges. Visit England’s 2024 Annual Attraction Survey, for example, states that visitor volume in England is 27% below that of 2019. This figure is alarming to say the least, but I’m an optimist and believe tourism on the Yorkshire coast has a great future. The concept of the Dinosaur Coast isn’t new. It was first conceived in 2008 when the Rotunda was restored. A committee was established, but however laudable this was, I suspect it was too academically focussed and lacked the expertise to develop a commercial model that could be embedded within the local visitor economy.

Can the Dinosaur Coast be revived? I believe it can. Dinosaurs are fascinating and fun. They capture the imagination of every generation of school children and even adults too! There are ‘living’ dinosaurs at the SEA LIFE Scarborough, and at the Rotunda and Whitby Museum visitors can literally walk in the footsteps of these incredible animals.

D’you know, I think I could be on to sometime… stay tuned.

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