My two kids have an as yet unflagging fascination with dinosaurs. We are hoping to take them to the Jurassic Coast, but want to know if this is feasible without a car? John Probert, Northampton

Doc Holiday responds: The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site and is a 95-mile long slice of southern England that’s claimed to be the most geologically diverse coastline in the world. The scenery is like a living geography lesson, with towering rock formations, secluded coves, and undulating hills.

But it’s a Dinosaur trail that your kids are after, so you should aim for Lyme Regis to see the preserved footprints, visit the museums, and most importantly, let them do some fossil foraging of their own. Axminster is on the London to Exeter line, from where there are buses to the town. See The Train Line (www.thetrainline.com) and The Travel Line (www.traveline.org.uk) for timetables and fares.

Make sure to visit the Philpot Museum (01297 443370, www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk, Adults £2.20, children free), for fossils and information of the so-called Princes of Palaeontology, Mary Anning. Dinosaurland (01297 443541, www.dinosaurland.co.uk, adults £4 and children £3) also has a good fossil collection, and excellent model dinosaurs too. It runs fossil hunting walks that last two hours and cost £5/£2). In nearby Charmouth, the Heritage Coast Centre (01297 560772, www.charmouth.org) also runs Fossil Walks (£7/£3).

On a falling tide, you can make for the sands and hunt for spiral-shaped ammonites, bullet-shaped belemnites and various other petrified remnants from the prehistoric past.

The CoastLinx53 (0870 608 2608, www.traveline.org.uk) bus operates a summer schedule along the coast, calling at Exeter, Sidford, Beer, Seaton, Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Bridport, Abbotsbury, Weymouth, Wool, Wareham and Poole. If you are heading further afield then planning in advance is important, as some stops only see a bus every hour or so. An unlimited use day ticket costs £5 (£12.50 for a family ticket of two adults and children).

For a wealth of information on the area, visit www.jurassiccoast.com

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