As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow on the eroded beach in East Sussex, England, Vicky Ballinger and her two children stumbled upon an extraordinary sight—an assemblage of eight colossal dinosaur footprints revealed by the relentless forces of high tides and heavy rains. The family marveled at the unexpected find, the result of nature’s sculpting of the sand, unveiling the imprints in the underlying rock. This stretch of coastline from Bexhill-on-Sea to Fairlight had already gained recognition for its treasure trove of dinosaur track casts and prints, but these particular footprints were new even to Vicky, who had grown up in the area. Speculating that the prints belonged to iguanodons rather than the famed T-rex, Vicky promptly shared her discovery with the Bexhill Museum, igniting further investigations into the prehistoric secrets hidden beneath the beach’s surface.
The allure of Bexhill beach extends beyond the thrill of discovering dinosaur footprints. In 2018, the cliffs between Hastings and Fairlight yielded over 85 footprints from the Cretaceous period, showcasing the intricate details of at least seven different dinosaur species, complete with skin and scales. Notably, the site also revealed a fossilized ‘pickled’ dinosaur brain. Dating back around 140 million years, this unique locale captures the remnants of dinosaurs that once roamed the freshwater landscapes of the ancient era. For Vicky and her children, the joy of stumbling upon these dinosaur footprints during a casual walk speaks to the enduring fascination with the mysteries of Earth’s distant past, preserved and unveiled by the relentless forces of nature.
