During scouring conditions, The famous ‘elephant bed’ is exposed at Stansore point, yielding various mammal remains. To the western end of the car park, fossils can be found in the many blocks both along the footpath to the cliffs and the foreshore. At the western end, foreshore Eocene clays yield microfossils. Pleistocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
At Brownwich Cliff, fossiliferous septarian nodules of Bracklesham age are washed onto the shore from offshore deposits. The cliffs at both Brownwich Cliff and Chilling Cliff can occasionally yield fossil molluscs, but the best deposits are those from below beach level, which are full of brachiopods and other molluscs. Pleistocene remains can also be found washed from the gravel beds. Pleistocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
At Beckton Bunny, the continuation of the Barton Beds yield brachiopods, gastropods and bivalves. However, the shells are far more sporadic than at Barton on Sea and tend often to be broken. During scouring, exposure of the Chama Beds yields the best specimens. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Latchmoor Brook is one of the only places where you can collect fossils in the New Forest. They come from the uppermost Bracklesham Group sediments and the lowermost Barton Clay. The stream and banks are very shallow, which makes collecting here far easier than other stream-based locations. Gastropods, bivalves and fish remains are all common here. Eocene, Stream, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Walton-on-the-Naze is an unpredictable location, which can be highly productive one day and bare the next. It is the best coastal location for fossils from the Red Crag and is famous for fossil bird remains from the London Clay. It also while yields some of the largest sharks’ teeth in the UK (including the rare Carcharocles megalodon), together with plant remains and much, much more. Pliocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Burnham-on-Crouch has yielded an incredible variety of fossils – you just never know what you will find. There are various species of shark (with teeth and vertebrae being most common fossils), crabs, seeds, fish remains (including ray teeth) and much, much more. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The most productive location for lobster fragments – found in small yellow nodules – this small location with its tiny cliffs can bring some nice surprises. Sharks’ teeth and fish remains can also be found. There are several species of lobster to be collected and it is also rich in microfossils. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
What looks like a flat beach behind a concrete seawall actually yields plenty of shark and fish teeth, plant remains and much more. People have been collecting here for years. However, success at this location is subject to beach conditions. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
East Mersea can be very popular in the summer, as it is a beautiful area, not far from Colchester. The foreshore is made up of London Clay, with a few sharks’ teeth to be found. This site is also well documented for OIS5 and OIS6 Pleistocene deposits, rich in (among other things) the teeth from small mammals and the shells of molluscs. Pleistocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Steeple Bay is very similar to Maylandsea. It is very productive for lobster fragments, which are found in small yellow nodules, and for crabs. There are several species of lobster that can be collected here and it is also rich in microfossils. All fossils are washed out of the London Clay from the low cliffs and foreshore. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Along the Wrabness shoreline of the River Stour and after scouring tides or stormy seas, fossils are washed up from sediments from the Quaternary. These include bones of deer, horse and whale from the Red Crag, with turtles, shells, and shark and fish teeth within cement stones and pyrite concretions from the London Clay. Pliocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Stansgate is situated along the south side of the River Blackwater and is east of the classic London Clay sites of Maylandsea and Steeple. Like these two other sites, phosphate nodules containing lobsters and crabs can be found, with sharks’ teeth and fish remains found loose in the shingle. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Beltinge, near Herne Bay, is one of the UK’s premier locations for collecting fossil shark teeth, attracting collectors from across Britain and Europe. The foreshore exposes the famous Beltinge Fish Beds, which can yield a wide variety of shark, ray and fish remains. While fossils can be found year-round, the site is most productive during very low spring tides, when the richest layers are exposed and large numbers of teeth can be collected under the right conditions.Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Warden Point on the Isle of Sheppey is the most popular site for collecting London Clay fossils. Easily accessed, with lots of fresh fossils constantly being washed out. A wide variety of fossils, can be found including everything from turtles, lobsters and crabs to sharks’ teeth, snakes, crocodiles, molluscs and plant remains. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Folkestone is internationally famous for the ‘Channel Tunnel’, but also for the cliffs of Gault Clay at Copt Point and in the Warren and East Wear Bay. These rapidly eroding cliffs yield a vast range of ammonites, crabs, echinoids, belemnites, brachiopods, bivalves and much, much more. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Minster on the Isle of Sheppey is another excellent site for collecting London Clay fossils and often has different fossils from those at Warden Point. Plant remains (especially seeds and fruit) are particularly common at this end, with the smaller fossils amongst areas of pyrite being the easiest to collect. However, a longer walk is required to get to the fossiliferous areas, compared with Warden Point. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
When beach conditions are favourable, Tankerton can be a very productive site. Rich in fish, lobsters, crabs, gastropods, bivalves and sharks’ teeth, a diverse range of species can be found here. London Clay is exposed on the foreshore, mostly in patches, but, during scouring conditions, more extensively. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Abbey Wood’s highly fossiliferous shell beds are open to the public for digging, with prior permission. The Eocene beds here are extremely rich in fossil sharks’ teeth, fish, mammal and bird remains, and fossil shells. Fossils are best found by onsite sieving, and is often visited by schools and society organised events. Eocene, Disused Pit, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Birchington is generally a poorly fossiliferous location. However, with patience, some specimens can be collected. Finds include Echinocorys, Micraster and Conulus echinoids (sea urchins), as well as bivalves, sponges and belemnites. Cretaceous, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Betteshanger (formerly Fowlmead) Coutry Park is a great site for Carboniferous plants, which are abundant and come from Kent’s former Betteshanger Colliery. Fossils are found in spoil, which is maintained by Geoconservation Kent Rigs. This is a perfect site for all the family, which is easy to access. Carboniferous, Spoil, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
The picturesque bay at St. Margaret’s is eroded out of Conacian Upper Chalk. Fossils can be found in the cliffs, boulders and shingle both to the east and the west of the bay. The location is picturesque and there is a very nice pub to relax in after fossil hunting. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The Lower Chalk exposed at Samphire Hoe is highly fossiliferous. Brachiopods are most commonly found, with corals, urchins, ammonites, sharks’ teeth and more also present. Microfossils are extremely abundant within the chalk and can be extracted relatively easily from rock samples taken home Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
This stretch of chalk coastline can be accessed from Broadstairs to the south or Joss Bay to the north. Fossils can be found both in the chalk and in the abundant flint pebbles on the foreshore. Common finds include echinoids (sea urchins) and sponges. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The cliff section between Pegwell Bay and Ramsgate Harbour is composed of Upper Chalk. There are many fallen blocks to investigate for sea urchin fossils, with other common finds including crinoid stem parts, brachiopods and starfish plates. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
This is a popular location for families and dog walkers. The chalk on the foreshore and any fallen boulders or cobbles can be investigated for fossils. Although finds are fairly plentiful, they are often broken. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
The coastline between Kingsdown and St Margaret’s Bay is made up of towering chalk cliffs. Some spectacular collapses have taken place over recent years, yielding a vast quantity of fresh chalk and flints to look over. However (and unfortunately), the rocks here are poorly fossiliferous. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
At this site, fossils can be found in accumulations of flint. They can also be found in the chalk foreshore and in fallen boulders. They can also be seen in the cliffs. Finds are not particularly abundant, but you should go home with something. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
The huge expanse of London Clay exposed on Seasalter’s foreshore lends the location a bleak atmosphere. It is not the most picturesque of fossil hunting sites, but occasionally stunning phosphatic fossils can be found. Perseverance is rewarded here. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The east of Herne Bay marks a dramatic change from rich fossil-bearing Eocene clays to the sandy cliffs of Reculver. Although sharks’ teeth do occur in the Thanet Sands, this location is mainly for those interested in collecting bivalves. These are found within foreshore exposures and the shell beds exposed within the cliff. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Elmley Hill is situated on the south side of the Isle of Sheppey, on the opposite side to the classic London Clay section of Minster to Warden Point. It is not a particularly rich location for fossils, but nevertheless, some important finds have been made over the years. Getting to this location involves a long walk. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Allhallows-on-Sea is a London Clay foreshore location, northwest of the Isle of Sheppey on the south side of the River Thames. The actual site runs along the beach next to a large holiday park, which is protected by a 1.8km-long seawall. Success at this location is often subject to beach conditions, which, if favourable, can yield nodules containing lobsters and especially crabs. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Lower Upnor is probably the most unproductive of all the London Clay sites in Kent, but is situated not far from the Isle of Sheppey and also along the route to Elmley Hill, both of which are covered on this website. Not only do the cliffs contain a lot of vegetation and are badly slumped, but the foreshore often covered in rubbish and the beds here are also from the less productive Division B1 of the London Clay. However, there are still fossils to be found. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦
This is a classic location and well worth a visit, subject to the access problems discussed below. Fossils are found both in the chalk and as flint casts. The scenery here is magnificent and it is hard not to be impressed by this stretch of coastline. However, access is now more difficult, the dramatic stairs down the cliff having now been closed. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The Studd Hill location is a foreshore exposure, which begins at Hampton Pier and ends at Long Rock (both are marked on OS 1:50,000 maps). In recent years, continuous erosion has been exposing the London Clay more frequently, although fossils are still not as common as they are at the popular neighbouring sites of Tankerton and Herne Bay. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
The striking red and white cliffs at Aust, on the Severn Estuary, expose the Rhaetian Penarth Group, home to one of the most famous bone beds in the UK. This thin but highly productive layer is packed with teeth, fish remains and reptile material, making Aust the richest Triassic fossil site in Britain. Under the right conditions, the foreshore can yield a wide variety of microfossils, rewarding careful searching and sieving. Triassic, Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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For those who have visited Watchet in Somerset looking for fossils in the Blue Lias, this location will seem remarkably similar. Indeed, the same fossils can be found in thick limestone bands and soft shale. Hock Cliff is a classic Jurassic location to explore. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
On the opposite side of the River Severn from the famous Aust Cliff, there are the much less famous Sedbury Cliffs. At what first appears to be a location similar but far less productive than Aust, it is actually a very productive location for Jurassic fossils. Triassic, Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Further up the River Severn from the other classic sites, such as Aust and Hock Cliff, Westbury-on-Severn (also known as Garden Cliff) is one of the finest localities for collecting from the famous Rhaetian- aged bone bed from the Penarth Group. Out of all of the localities along the Severn, this has the most rapid erosion. Triassic, Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Soudley Valley has a geological trail, taking you through the geological features of the Forest of Dean. One of the locations on the trail features a spoil heap of Carboniferous coal measures, where you can find fossil plants. This guide concentrates on this location.Carboniferous, Spoil, Rating: ♦♦
Crickley Hill is now part of a national park, where there is an official geological trail with an Iron Age hill fort nearby. There are a few sites along the official guide taking you through the geological history of the area, but this guide concentrates on the Crickley Member (formerly known as Pea Grit) quarry of the Birdlip Limestone. Jurassic, Disused Quarries, Scree, Rating: ♦
The actual site is a foreshore location on the eastern shore of the River Severn to the west of Tites Point, in Gloucestershire. At low tide, the Silurian Ludlow beds are exposed, yielding a range of fossils, including seeds, plants and molluscs. However, of most importance is the abundance of fish remains from the Ludlow Fish Bed. Silurian, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Wainlode Cliff is a less popular location for collecting fossils from the Triassic bone beds of the Rhaetic aged rocks of the Westbury Formation than, for example, Aust. The cliff height is quite impressive, but the problem is this location is more overgrown than others, and does not wash out as regularly. The taller cliffs also mean that the bone bed is inaccessible and unfortunately rarely falls.
Triassic, Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
The two large quarry faces at Robinswood hill are sites of special scientific interest (SSSI), as they expose the best inland section of early Jurassic rocks in the country. As such, fossil hunting is limited. However, some fossils may be collected from loose material and the views from the top of the hill are worth the walk. Jurassic, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦
A pleasant few hours can be spent at Leckhampton Hill. There are numerous old quarry faces with piles of scree to investigate. Fossils are not abundant but, with patience, some should be collected. The views from this hill are impressive and the walk to the various sites is an enjoyable (if hilly) one. Jurassic, Outcrops, Disused Quarries, Rating: ♦♦♦
There are many old quarries on the west side of the elevated golf course at Cleeve Hill and on top of the common itself. Fossils are varied and abundant, and plenty can be collected from scree below the faces. However, the in situ rock should not be hammered. Views from the top of Cleeve Common, the highest hill in Gloucestershire, are stunning. Jurassic, Disused Quarries, Rating: ♦♦♦
This is a disused railway cutting, hidden away in a thick forest. The small cutting has good exposures of Inferior Oolite and this location is well documented for its Clypeus sinuatus flat echinoids, but many brachiopods and bivalves can also be found. Jurassic, Disused Railway Cutting, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The Forest of Dean is full of evidence of past coal mining. This old spoil head in Whitecroft, although overgrown, contains some excellent shale full of fossil plants. It is a shame the site is so overgrown, which means you will need to do some digging. Carboniferous, Spoil, Rating: ♦♦♦
There are nearly always people collecting at Bracklesham Bay. Fossils can simply be found washed up on the sand, and you can normally come back with bags full of decent finds, especially sharks’ teeth. During scouring tides, the fossiliferous Bracklesham Formation form the Eocene is exposed and the beach can be covered with ray and sharks’ teeth, and also bivalve shells. Occasionally, you can find corals, but you will definitely find lots of the often overlooked, large, single-celled foraminifera (Nummulites laevigatus). Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
This location is highly fossiliferous, with chalk packed with ammonites, echinoids, brachiopods, bivalves and crinoids. This is one of the best chalk locations in the UK and is full of surprises. It is highly recommended to all fossil hunters who love the chalk. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
This site is world famous for its highly fossiliferous chalk, which is packed with a wide range of different echinoids, brachiopods, bivalves and crinoids. This is one of the best chalk locations in the UK for its variety of fossils and is recommended to all keen chalk fossil hunters. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
