Bude
Bude combines folded Carboniferous rocks and rare fossil fish with a different fossil display in the imported limestone of its breakwater. The fish-bearing shale is an important scientific exposure, best appreciated…
Read the guide →FOSSIL HUNTING BY REGION
Cornwall
fossil locations
10 location guides
Cornwall is not one of the most productive fossil hunting areas in the UK, as much of the region is made up of very old, largely unfossiliferous rocks. However, some locations do yield fossils, often poorly preserved due to their geological age.
The coastline from Bude to Boscastle is the most productive area, with finds including fish remains, plant material, and goniatites from Carboniferous deposits. In the south, Pendower Beach offers occasional trilobites from Ordovician strata, although these are rare.
Fossil collecting in Cornwall is best suited to enthusiasts, as finds may be limited but represent some of the oldest fossil material in the UK.
Explore Cornwall on the map
10 location guides
10 locations
Crackington Haven
Crackington Haven is a small cove with folded Carboniferous sandstone and shale on both sides of its sandy beach. Rare goniatites and bivalves have been recorded here, but the clearest rewards…
Read the guide →
Foxhole Point
Foxhole Point, north of Millook beach, exposes fossil-bearing Carboniferous shale between resistant sandstone beds. Its documented goniatites help date the rocks to the top of the Marsdenian, but reaching the point…
Read the guide →
Maer Cliff
Maer Cliff, south of Northcott Mouth, exposes steeply tilted Carboniferous sandstone and shale. Careful searching may reveal plant fragments, fish remains and traces of animal activity, while concretion-bearing black shales and…
Read the guide →
Pendower Beach
Pendower Beach combines a Devonian coastal section with much older fossil-bearing quartzite carried into the rocks as large blocks. The eastern shore offers elusive brachiopod impressions, while the raised beach and…
Read the guide →
Rusey Cliff
Rusey Cliff is a remote locality where Carboniferous shales and sandstones have been intensely folded, faulted and veined. Its principal interest is the Rusey Fault Zone; fossil reports from the original…
Read the guide →
Sandy Mouth
Sandy Mouth combines a sandy beach with folded late Carboniferous sandstone and shale. Fine-grained rocks can preserve plant fragments, while the named Sandy Mouth Shale has documented bivalves, ammonoids and fish…
Read the guide →
Upton Cross
Between Bude and Widemouth Bay, Upton Cross exposes steep sandstone ribs and dark shale with fossil-bearing concretions. The late Carboniferous Bude Formation has yielded fragmentary fish, burrows and arthropod traces, although…
Read the guide →
Wanson Mouth
Wanson Mouth exposes folded Crackington Formation sandstone and shale with a documented Langsettian ammonoid fauna. Its small beach and rocky margins are distinct from Widemouth Bay: access needs care, and public…
Read the guide →
Widemouth Bay
Widemouth Bay combines folded Carboniferous rocks with much younger shell-bearing sands. The Black Rock foreshore reveals a detailed sandstone-and-shale succession, while the land-snail record belongs to separate coastal deposits. Fossil opportunities…
Read the guide →No locations match those filters. Try another search or reset the filters.
