West Country fossil hunters Neville and Sally Hollingworth uncovered a striking fish head in a grassy bank behind a cattle shed at Court Farm in King's Stanley, close to the Cotswold Way. The same site also yielded further fish remains, squid, and bones from two ichthyosaurs - marine reptiles that thrived when this landscape lay under ancient seas.
Finds like these underline how deep the Cotswolds' geological story runs beneath today's pastures and villages. The trail itself follows Jurassic limestone country, so even a quiet farmland stretch can sit above a rich fossil record.
King's Stanley sits on the Painswick to King's Stanley and King's Stanley to Dursley stages. Enjoy the archaeology and geology from the path - leave digging to permitted scientific work, and stick to designated rights of way.
