No one believed me when I announced we were going on a mission to discover dinosaur footprints at a place called Spyway. Our mission took us through puddles, past a quarry and into some serious mud, finally ending at dinosaur footprints so enormous we could stand in them.
Priest’s Way When you leave the Spyway car park head towards the sea and then turn right onto Priest’s Way in the direction of Worth Matravers. Keate’s Quarry This is limestone from the local area, which has been quarried for centuries, building places like Corfe Castle and Westminster Abbey. “Dinosaur Tracks” This Way It was very muddy when we visited and we had to make stepping stones to reach the gate. Dinosaur Footprints Brachiosauruses were enormous plant eating dinosaurs that could grow to 30m long. They lived 145 million years ago at a time when Dorset was a tropical area covered in swamps, lagoons and forests. We think we spotted baby dinosaur footprints too. Dancing Ledge and the Cliffs I understand you can also see Dancing Ledge, which is an area of cliff that has been quarried into a flat ledge and has a rock pool that was created for local school children. Scratched Arse Ware? The Paths
The walk to Keates Quarry and the dinosaur footprints is an easy 3/4 of a mile along paths with sea views. 
Along Priest’s Way you walk past a working quarry that is surrounded by stacks of stone. 
A little way after the quarry you come to a gate on the right with a picture of a dinosaur and “Dinosaur tracks” written on it.
Keates Quarry is then just a short walk across the field.
Be sure to bring wellies! 
The fossilised dinosaur tracks are believed to have originally been made by Brachiosauruses walking on a lagoon’s beach. 
The footprints are enormous! 
From the Spyway car park you can also walk towards the sea and cliffs and then either walk down the coastal paths or just enjoy the beautiful views. 
Sadly, we didn’t have time to explore the rest of Spyway and discover what Scratched Arse Ware is or see Dancing Ledge but I will update this post after our next visit.
Instead we drove for 20 minutes to Dorchester to see the Dinosaur Museum.
When we visited, the paths ranged from smooth to muddy and bumpy. I used an all terrain buggy and think you might struggle with a normal buggy.
Further Information
Nearest Town: Swanage Opens: Daily Where to Eat: Bring a picnic. How Long We Spent There: 2.5 hours Parking: There is medium sized car park. Wildlife You Might See: Seabirds like puffins, shags, guillemots and sea gulls, cows and insects. Information Written: February 2020
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: BH19 3HG
Cost: Free
Facilities: None
Buggies: I used an all terrain buggy without any problems, although I could not push it over the muddy fields. I think some of the paths might be too bumpy for a normal buggy.
Cost of Parking: Free
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Our visit to the dinosaur footprints at Spyway in Swanage is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.
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