Fossils spiral on

The Yorkshire Fossil Festival returned to Scarborough–in and around the Rotunda, home of geology thanks to pioneer William Smith.

Now in its third year, the Yorkshire Fossil Festival returned to Scarborough bringing fun, fascinating forums and forensic foraging to all things palaeontological.

The three-day festival opened on Friday with a schools and education day.

There was plenty on show and even a walking dinosaur, which caused quite a stir when it popped up in the Brunswick Centre on Saturday.

The festival took place in and around Scarborough’s famous Rotunda Museum - the first purpose-built geological museum in the country, which provided the perfect backdrop for the programme of workshops, theatre, specialist talks, storytelling and fossil hunting.

Highlights included a visit from best-selling children’s author Ian Whybrow, writer of Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs; curators from The Natural History Museum exploring dinosaur discoveries; Dinosaur Park - fresh from The Edinburgh Festival; Emerald Ant’s exciting giant Iguanodon Restaurant Show and the return of everyone’s favourite free-range baby T-Rex.

Abbie Drydale peers into the jaws of an Allosaurus 164018a, while Sarah Phillips, below, enjoys the day 164018b

Logan Tomlinson view sharks jaw bones 164018c

Zoe Hughes with a fossilized shell 164018f

Max Hesp and Emily Maudsley come face to face with a dinosaur 164018d

Alex Peaker of Dinosaur Isle Museum with a Baryonyx jaw 164018e

Emerald Ant members shelter near an Iguanodon 164018h