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.
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 folded bedrock reward a careful geological visit even when fossils are scarce. Devonian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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 through its geology and the museum’s Bude fossil fish display. This is a viewing and photography locality. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
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 are scattered and should not be confused with those at neighbouring Wanson Mouth. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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 remains. The tide-dependent rocky shore south of the entrance needs more care than the main bathing beach. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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 contrasting sedimentary structures make this an instructive geological shore. The rocky route is tide-dependent and requires more care than the main beach. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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 guide need careful interpretation among the striking quartz breccias and mineral textures. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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 are its sedimentary structures and dramatic folds. Visit to observe and photograph, leaving fossils, stones and pebbles in place. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
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 finds are uncommon. This is a tide-dependent rocky shore, and the present beach approach must be checked before visiting. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
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 walking rights do not themselves give permission to remove fossils. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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 involves a demanding, tide-dependent stretch of steep and slippery foreshore. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
