Below the Forth Road and Forth Rail Bridge, Carboniferous fish fragments and plant remains can be found in the shale. It can take some time to find the fossiliferous zones, but once you do, there is plenty to be collected. Carboniferious, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Writhlington spoil heap was created by the Geologists’ Association to preserve fossiliferous spoil for future study and is open to the public for fossil collecting. It has yielded hundreds of plants and insects species and is well documented. There is plenty to be found and, occasionally, the spoil is turned over to allow for better collecting (but this has not happened for a while). Carboniferous, Spoil, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Unworked since the early twentieth century, Clints Quarry is now quite overgrown. Some areas of scree can still be found, but fossils are becoming less common. This is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). Carboniferous, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦
The bay at Freshwater East is a great location for the whole family. The sandy beach is ideal for children and, as it is so large, it is unlikely to become crowded even in the height of summer. Fossils are fairly abundant and are easy to find. Carboniferous, Devonian, Silurian, Ordovician, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Spectacular bedding packed with corals can be seen at Barns Ness. This is a fantastic location for corals and there is plenty to be found here, although the fossils are not as well preserved as those from Aberlady. Carboniferious, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Along the seafront at Edinburgh, Carboniferous rocks yield fossil plant remains, crinoid stems and shells. Most of the best beds have been over-collected, but there are still lots of fossils to be found. Carboniferious, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
During scouring conditions, Coralline Crag is exposed below beach level at this location, which yields hard blocks full of shells, echinoids, bryozoans and corals. Pliocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦
A peaceful, secluded bay, a wonderful cliff-top walk and some impressive coal measures plants make Nolton Haven a very pleasant location to find fossils. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Although fossils can be found at this location, it is the wildlife and geological features of the area that are the real treats. Fossil plant remains can be found in the cliffs and loose rocks. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
Some excellent geological features can be seen within Manorbier Bay and also from the clifftop path that leads southeast from the location. Crinoids and other fossils are abundant, and can be found in pebbles in the stream that crosses the sandy beach. Devonian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
The magnificent tall Jurassic cliffs at Saltburn yield ammonites, belemnites, brachiopods and bivalves from the Cleveland Ironstone of the Lower Lias. The rocks here, however can be very hard and difficult to collect from. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
This new town may not be the prettiest in Cleveland, but is an ideal location for anyone interested in trace fossils. Fossil ripple marks and worm tubes are quite frequent; and bivalves are also very common. However, there is a large number of rocks along the beach, making walking difficult. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Whitby is one of the most iconic fossil localities on the Yorkshire coast, renowned for its rich Jurassic heritage and dramatic cliff scenery. While access to parts of the foreshore is tide-dependent and requires careful planning, the rewards can be considerable. The area is celebrated for its abundant ammonites, marine reptile remains and diverse shell beds, as well as for jet — fossilised wood from ancient conifer-like trees that became highly prized in Victorian jewellery. Its reputation means it is rarely quiet, but with patience and good timing.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Saltwick Bay is one of the most productive sites on the Yorkshire Coast, well known for its abundant ammonites, reptile remains and marine fossils. The foreshore is rich in fossiliferous nodules, often easy to split and frequently yielding well-preserved specimens. The bay is also famous for jet, a form of lignite historically used in jewellery, adding to its geological and historical significance.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Staithes is a popular and accessible Yorkshire Coast locality, well known for its abundant and easily prepared ammonites. These are commonly found within nodules along the foreshore or weathering out from ledges, often requiring only minimal effort to collect. While productive and close to access points, the foreshore near the beach entrance can be extremely slippery, so care is needed when conditions are wet.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Robin Hood’s Bay is one of the most geologically important sites on the Yorkshire Coast, known for its diverse ammonite fauna and extensive Jurassic exposures. While much of the central bay is covered by boulder clay, the foreshore and reefs to either side can be highly productive. Success here depends on conditions and experience, but with careful searching, a wide range of ammonites and other marine fossils can be found.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Hayburn Wyke is one of Yorkshire’s most important and rewarding plant fossil localities. This site exposes Middle Jurassic rocks that have yielded an exceptional diversity of fossil flora. The fine-grained sediments here preserve delicate leaf impressions in remarkable detail, offering a rare glimpse into the lush, humid landscapes that bordered the Jurassic sea around 170 million years ago. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Runswick Bay is a highly regarded Yorkshire Coast locality, known for its diverse ammonite fauna and productive foreshore exposures. Under the right conditions, the bay can yield a wide range of ammonite species along with bivalves and other marine fossils, often found loose or within nodules. With its broad beach and regular fresh material from erosion, it can be a very rewarding site for collectors.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Scalby Ness is another good location for collecting plant remains. It is not as highly productive as other Yorkshire locations, due to the limited area. However, you can still find some very good plant remains from the boulders on the foreshore. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
This is a location that is worth stopping off at for an hour on the way to Elgol. Belemnites can be found here and a few rocks contain bivalves. Some sandstone outcrops also contain fossils. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Many Silurian fossils, such as crinoid pieces, corals and brachiopods, can be collected at this National Trust managed limestone escarpment. The tourist information centre and museum in Much Wenlock is also worth a visit to learn a little more about the location and to view fossils from the area. Silurian, Cutting, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
This is a beautiful location, surrounded by luscious, green rolling countryside. Betton Dingle offers trilobite fossils, a pleasant walk and the guarantee of getting wet. Not a site for the unadventurous. Ordovician, Stream Embankment, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Fossils can be found in shales, which outcrop in the stream banks of the Hope Valley stream near the nature reserve. Finds are few and far between, but occasionally a nice, whole trilobite can be collected. Ordovician, Stream Embankment, Rating: ♦
This popular location among holiday makers has an expansive sandy beach with Cambrian shales outcropping on its north side. There are few fossils to be found, but the beach is an excellent place to take the family. Cambrian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
The rocks at North Berwick are volcanic tuffs, but cementstones within a small zone of tuff contain fish remains and 23 species of pteridosperms and lycopods. Carboniferious, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
The bay at Porthgain is eroded out of Ordovician shales, with the headlands on either side of it composed of more resistant igneous rocks. Although huge piles of shale can be found on the clifftop, fossils are sparse. Ordovician, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
To visit the entire Glasnakille stretch of coastline and to see its various bays and headlands, it must be accessed at three different places. The sea here reaches the plunging cliffs even at low tide. However, the scenery is worth the effort, even if fossil numbers are on the low side. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Along the River Stour, Pleistocene cliffs at Stutton Ness yield the bones of mammoths and deer, while foreshore exposures of Eocene London clay yield a wide variety of fossil seeds.Pleistocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
Infrequent Cambrian fossils can be observed on the surfaces of dolomitic limestone boulders at the base of Ben Suardal. They are not particularly easy to find and are hard to collect, but their great age should be an incentive to at least try to find them. Cambrian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
It is quite a long walk down to the beach, but ammonites are well preserved and often found at this location. They can be found both at the north and south end of Ravenscar, but unfortunately, there is very little beach material and cliff falls are rare. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
The early Oligocene beds along the Coastline at Bouldnor Cliff (Near Hamstead) is highly fossiliferous in mammal, crocodile, turtle, crustaceans and fish remains. Molluscs, plants and seeds can also be found simply lying on the foreshore. It’s one of the most productive locations on the Island for Fossils providing a rare glimpse into life on land and in coastal lagoons around 33–37 million years ago. Oligocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Cloughton Wyke is an excellent location for finding plant remains. The beds are rich in a variety of flora and collecting is fairly easy. Bivalves can also be found here, along with trace fossils, such as ripple marks and burrows. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Monmouth Beach, Lyme Regis, exposes classic Lower Jurassic Lias beds similar to those at Church Cliffs, making it one of the most iconic fossil sites on the Dorset coast. The foreshore regularly yields ammonites, bivalves and marine reptile remains, although success is heavily dependent on conditions. After storms and strong scouring, fresh material is revealed, often producing some of the best finds along the Jurassic Coast.Jurassic, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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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: ♦♦♦♦
Labelling and coding your collection is vital. Too often, museums acquire private collections and struggle to find data about each find. Basic information, such as the exact location, zone and formation are essential, together with […]
The early Oligocene beds exposed along the coastline at Hamstead Cliff are exceptionally rich in fossils, particularly remains of mammals, crocodiles, turtles, fish and crustaceans. In addition, a wide variety of molluscs, plant material and fossil seeds can often be found scattered across the foreshore. This stretch of coast is widely regarded as one of the most productive fossil locations on the Isle of Wight, offering a remarkable diversity of finds for those willing to search carefully.Oligocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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During favourable scouring conditions, Easton Wood exposes Norwich Crag shell beds along the foreshore. These are extremely rich in mammal remains and are the best preserved bones from any Norwich Crag site. Although highly productive, scouring only occurs every few years, although after gale force storms, mammal remains can often be washed ashore, lifted by the waves from the seafloor. Shell beds are also sometimes exposed in sporadic pockets along the cliff, but bones from these upper shell beds are rare. Pliocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Overstrand is a foreshore collecting location. Chalk is exposed during low tide, especially during scouring conditions or winter/spring months. The chalk is highly fossiliferous, yielding many echinoids, sponges and molluscs. Pleistocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
There are two locations for fossils at Elie. The first is Elie Shore where, during scouring conditions and winter months, brachiopods, bivalves, sponges and trilobite fragments can be found. Nearby, the rocks at Wood Haven also contain fossils Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Helmsdale is the best place to collect Jurassic fossils in Scotland. Geologists have been fascinated by the strange ‘Boulder Beds’ for many years and some questions have remained unanswered as to how the beds were formed. The area is rich in reptile remains, giant corals, fish remains and the occasional ammonite. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Thurso is famous for its rich fish beds, and fish remains (especially scales) can be found everywhere along the foreshore – the rocks are full them. Fish teeth and complete fish have also been found. Devonian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Achanarras Quarry once constantly yielded complete Middle Devonian fish from the Old Red Sandstone. However, it has been disused for many years and is now over-collected, but still very rich in remains. Complete fish can still be found, but are now rare. Devonian, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
At Brora, Jurassic rocks are carried down and deposited from further upstream. These lie around the mouth of the river (River Brora) and along the beaches at the town. They can contain ammonites and shells. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
This is the official ‘Hugh Miller Trail’. Hugh Miller was one of the most important Scottish geologists of the 19th century. Ammonites and fossil fish can be found here. The footpath down to the shore was created by Hugh Miller himself. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
The tall Jurassic cliffs along the River Brora yield ammonites and belemnites. You will need wellington boots as the river runs next to the cliff face. Ammonites can be seen exposed on the ledges and platforms beside the river. Jurassic, River Cliffs, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Kintradwell is difficult to access, but if the ‘Boulder Beds’ are exposed, this site can be highly fossiliferous. Kintradwell’s rocky foreshore can also produce some surprises. However, be prepared for a long walk. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Baile an Or is ideal for families and children. It is set in beautiful scenery and you can pan for gold here. There is actually quite a lot of gold, although they are tiny grains. However, some people have collected enough gold to make a wedding ring and other jewellery. Please note that gold panning is no longer free, and a licence MUST be purchased. There are now strict rules regarding where, when, and how you can pan.Gold Panning, River, Rating: ♦♦♦
Golspie is famous for the castle of Dunrobin. However, few people know that, just below the castle on the foreshore, fossils can be collected in Jurassic rocks. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
What looks like an ordinary rocky beach, covered in seaweed, is actually rich in corals, ammonites and shells, although you need to work hard to find them. At Portgower, the rocks exposed are from the Jurassic and, if you split them, can yield flat ammonites and shells. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
This location is most famously known for being the furthest point in the northeast of the UK mainland. This location is actually highly rich in fish remains (especially large fish scales) from Middle Devonian, John O’Groats Sandstone Group. Devonian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
