The weather was perfect for fossil hunting at the weekend.

Lyme Regis Fossil Festival returned, offering events the whole family could enjoy.

The year’s theme was 'Lyme Through Time: 200 million Years of Geological Time and 200 Years of Discovery' - and it did not disappoint.

Visitors of all ages headed to Lyme to discover all there is to know about the area's geological importance - and the glorious weather was added bonus.

One organiser, Helen Tweedale, who works at the Lyme Regis Development Trust, said: “The rocks and fossils around Lyme Regis and Charmouth date back to the start of the Jurassic period and yet we have only spent the last 200 years unravelling the stories that they contain. Who knows what else there is to be discovered, while ever more powerful technologies enable us to discover more.”

Activities took place in the Hub, the Jubilee Pavilion, under the shelters and in the main marquee above the amusement arcade, while the festival is centred on the old town and seafront.

Free, hands-on activities were offered to all ages, including sieving to find your own fossils, using electron microscopes, helping construct a 3D model dinosaur, solving a dinosaur crime using fossil forensics and stepping back in time to find out how ammonite fossils actually formed. Several talks and guided walks took place across the weekend, showcasing the best of Lyme's geological history.

As with previous years, the Natural History Museum, along with both national and regional science organisations, museums and universities displayed their work in the Earth Sciences.

Visitors met with scientists from the Natural History Museum, Palaeontological Association, British Antarctic Survey, Natural England, Southampton University, Dorset Geologists, Geological Society, Lyme Regis Museum, Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, National Trust, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Dinosaur Isle and many more.