An easily accessible location, perfect for families and children to search for fossil shark teeth and shells along the shingle foreshore. The fossils, dating back 34 million years to the Eocene epoch, can be collected without tools—simply picked up from the beach. The best time to find them is after storms or during the winter, but teeth can still be discovered year-round.
DIRECTIONS
♦ Head to Lee-on-the-Solent and park at Monks Hill Car Park (postcode: PO13 9LT). The car park is located at the eastern end of the seafront, providing easy access to the beach.
♦ From the car park, walk directly onto the shingle foreshore, where fossil hunting for shark teeth and Eocene fossil shells begins.
♦ Fossils can be found along the shoreline, especially after storms or at low tide. The best area to search is along the exposed gravel beds where natural erosion reveals new finds.
♦ Facilities: Nearby, you’ll find toilets, cafés, and shops along the Lee-on-the-Solent seafront.
♦ GPS Reference: 50.801512, -1.200126
♦ WHAT3WORDS: ///doll.dives.statement
PROFILE INFO
FIND FREQUENCY: ♦♦♦ – During winter, especially after storms and during periods of very low water, shark teeth and fossil shells are quite common. In summer, however, they can be harder to find, as the site is often picked over by many visitors. For the best chances of success, visit outside peak times.
CHILDREN: ♦♦♦♦♦ – This is a fantastic location for children, just a few metres from the car park. The beach is easy to explore, with no cliffs, and fossils can be found along the foreshore. Being in a seaside town, there are also plenty of other activities for children beyond fossil hunting.
ACCESS: ♦♦♦♦♦ – From the main car park, it’s just a short walk to the shingle beach where fossils can be found. The beach offers very easy access, making it suitable for all visitors.
TYPE: – This is a foreshore-only location. Fossils can be found among the shingle along the foreshore.
FOSSIL HUNTING
Lee-on-the-Solent is a perfect place for families to collect fossils, where children can find shark teeth without the fear and risks of cliffs and rocks. It has a fascinating fossil record, which includes not only shark teeth but invertebrates too. Among the species commonly found in Eocene strata throughout the broader Solent region are sand tiger sharks (genus Striatolamia) and various mackerel shark relatives (sometimes referred to older genera like Otodus or Carcharocles in different Eocene deposits). These teeth can be recognized by their elongated crowns and sideways-pointing cusps, reflecting the diverse predatory sharks that patrolled the shallow seas covering what is now southern England roughly 33-36 million years ago. While Lee-on-the-Solent may not be as prolific for shark teeth as certain fossil hotspots further west, beach deposits—particularly shingle and gravel washes—can occasionally yield such finds, especially after storms or periods of intense wave action.
Beyond sharks, the Eocene layers of the Barton Group and related strata also contain a variety of mollusc fossils—bivalves, gastropods, and others—that capture snapshots of marine ecosystems from long ago. Among the bivalves commonly encountered are Glycymeris (dog cockles), Venericor (previously known as Venericardia), and Pecten(scallops), all of which reflect the shallow, warm-water conditions that prevailed during the Eocene. Meanwhile, gastropods such as Turritella, Natica, and Volutilithes are also frequently found, their coiled shells bearing distinctive ornamentation and offering clues about the diversity of marine life at that time. For collectors and enthusiasts, these shell fossils often serve as an accessible entry point into the region’s paleontological heritage, especially as sections of the coast are intermittently exposed by wave action, storms, or minor cliff falls—revealing fresh deposits and occasionally yielding well-preserved specimens. Additionally, later Quaternary deposits found in pockets around Lee-on-the-Solent can hold mammalian remains (like fragments of deer or horse) and microfossils—testament to more recent climatic oscillations during the Ice Ages.
If you plan on searching for fossils at Lee-on-the-Solent, it is worth noting that much of the collecting is best done along the beach, particularly after storms or at low tide when fresh materials may have been exposed or washed up. Fossil teeth, shell fragments, and small bones sometimes gather in the shingle or around areas where the waves naturally sift and concentrate debris. There is a shingle bank that protrudes out into the sea visible from the carpark, this are is the best area to search.
A keen eye for oddly shaped rocks, distinctive enamel surfaces, or symmetrical outlines can go a long way. Gentle tools—such as a small trowel or a soft brush—can help uncover or clean a find. However, it is crucial to respect both local regulations and private property rights and any collecting on publicly accessible beaches should follow guidelines set by local authorities and conservation trusts. As with any fossil-hunting venture, leaving the site as you found it and reporting noteworthy discoveries to local museums or heritage organizations contributes to preserving Lee-on-the-Solent’s geological heritage for everyone.
GEOLOGY
Lee-on-the-Solent, situated on the southern coast of Hampshire in England, lies along the shoreline of the Solent—a strait that separates mainland England from the Isle of Wight. The local geology is shaped by a mixture of Tertiary-age bedrock and more recent Quaternary (Ice Age and post-Ice Age) sedimentary deposits. Its coastal setting, with a relatively low-lying shoreline, has also fostered the development of marine terraces, beach deposits, and a range of superficial (surface) sediments that record fluctuating sea levels and ongoing coastal processes.
Beneath the surface, much of the bedrock in this part of southern Hampshire belongs to the Eocene epoch (roughly 56 to 34 million years ago). These rocks include the sands, clays, and marls of formations such as the Bracklesham Group and the Barton Group, which are characteristic of much of the Solent region. During the Eocene, this portion of southern England was covered by shallow marine waters, where silt and clay settled out, interspersed with episodes of sand deposition. Over time, these sediments lithified into rock layers. In the broader area, the well-known Barton Clay, which crops out to the west of Southampton and along parts of the Hampshire Basin, represents a similar setting of Eocene marine and estuarine conditions. While Barton Clay is not always directly exposed in Lee-on-the-Solent itself, it underscores the general Tertiary geology that underlies much of the Solent coastline.
Closer to the surface, Lee-on-the-Solent exhibits various Quaternary deposits—those that date from the last 2.6 million years and into the modern Holocene. During multiple glacial and interglacial periods, sea levels rose and fell dramatically, leaving behind layers of beach gravel, marine sands, and wind-blown material such as loess. These superficial deposits frequently form the seafront and are reworked by modern coastal processes. Beach terraces of shingle and sand are especially evident in the intertidal zone and can extend landward beneath coastal infrastructure. Collectively, these deposits reflect both ancient episodes of higher sea levels and more recent erosion, transportation, and redeposition by waves and tides.
The ongoing interaction between geological strata and marine processes remains a key aspect of Lee-on-the-Solent’s coastal landscape. Erosion can expose older layers beneath the beach sediments, revealing patches of Eocene clay or sands in some places. Meanwhile, longshore drift redistributes the beach shingle, shaping beach profiles and influencing the alignment of protective sea walls or groynes. Overall, the geology of Lee-on-the-Solent is a story of layered marine sediments—both ancient and modern—reflecting the area’s dynamic position on the edge of the Solent and within the broader geological framework of southern England.
SAFETY
Common sense when collecting at all locations should always be used and prior knowledge of tide times is essential. Lee-on-the-Solent has no cliffs and the beach is just a few metres away, meaning that it is a lovely safe environment to collect from. As with any water location, please make sure you keep an eye on children at all times.
EQUIPMENT
Lee-on-Solent is an excellent location for fossils. You don’t need any tools to find fossils, however, some of the shells can be fragile, so bring lots of paper to wrap them with or use Tupperware boxes. In most cases, all you need is a good eye, as most of them can be picked off the foreshore within the shingle without too much work.
ACCESS RIGHTS
This site is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). This means you can visit the site, but digging the bedrock clay (which is rarely exposed at this location and not needed to find fossils) is not permitted.
It is important to follow our ‘Code of Conduct’ when collecting fossils or visiting any site. Please also read our ‘Terms and Conditions‘
LINKS
♦ Buy Fossils online
♦ Buy Crystals online
♦ Location Discussions
♦ Deposits Magazine
♦ UK Fossils Network
Alister Cruickshanks. Last inspected 2025, Updated 2025
