Fossil Hunting in Devon

The southeast coast of Devon continues the Jurassic Coast, with a range of fossil-bearing formations. To the east, Jurassic rocks yield ammonites, brachiopods, and fish, while further west the sequence includes Cretaceous chalk at locations such as Hooken Cliff, Beer Head, and Pinhay Bay.

Moving west, Triassic deposits are present, although fossils are less common. Much of Devon is dominated by older Devonian rocks, which generally contain fewer fossils, with occasional finds of corals and crinoids that are often poorly preserved.

Although fossil collecting can be more limited, the Devonian rocks are extremely ancient, making any discoveries significant within the geological history of the UK.

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Pinhay Bay

Pinhay Bay is a remote and geologically complex stretch of the East Devon coast, exposing rocks from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous within a single location. Less visited than nearby Lyme Regis, the bay can reward determined collectors with a wide range of fossils, including Blue Lias ammonites, Triassic bivalves, fish remains and Chalk echinoids, all scattered amongst landslips, fallen blocks and the rugged foreshore.Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Charton Bay

Charton Bay is a remote and rewarding East Devon location, reached via a long walk from Lyme Regis, exposing a mix of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits along a largely undisturbed stretch of coastline. This quiet beach yields a surprising range of fossils, including Blue Lias ammonites, Langport Member bivalves such as Plagiostoma, and Cretaceous echinoids, making it a fascinating spot for collectors willing to make the effort and explore beyond the more popular sites.Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Haven Cliff, Seaton

Haven Cliff at Seaton is an actively eroding coastal site, where recent landslides have exposed fresh material from the Chalk and Upper Greensand. The foreshore and fallen blocks can yield a range of fossils, including echinoids, ammonites and bivalves, particularly after storms and at low tide. With regular cliff falls supplying new material, it can be a productive location for collectors willing to search carefully.Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Seaton HOLE

The Chalk and Upper Greensand at Seaton is highly fossiliferous and makes for ideal collecting. Ammonites, echinoids, brachiopods and bivalves can all be found. There are plenty of rocks and fresh falls to look through. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦

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Beer Head

The chalk at Beer Head is very hard, unless you are lucky enough to find boulders on the foreshore from the softer beds at the top of the cliffs. There are a huge variety of echinoid species to be found here and the location is also well known for ammonites, brachiopods and bivalves. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦

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Hooken Cliff

Hooken Cliff is the best location in Devon for finding fossils, in particular, echinoids, ammonites, fish and brachiopods, which are easy to find – you just never know what you may find. They can be found in the White Chalk Subgroup (Seaton Formation) and the Grey Chalk Subgroup and in the Upper Greensand. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

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Lee Bay

Lee Bay is a coastal location just to the west of the Valley of the Rocks. It features similar, but more fossiliferous rocks than those found at the Valley of the Rocks, but the site is harder to collect from and the cliffs are not easy to access. The sea always reaches the cliffs at the headlands, even at the lowest tide, and the best sections will require some climbing over large rocks. Devonian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦

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Valley of the Rocks

The Valley of the Rocks is a popular tourist destination, especially for hikers, artists and writers. The dry valley has cut through Devonian Lynton beds, which are highly fossiliferous. The coastal road, west of Lynton, runs through this valley, with plenty of car parking space for visitors. It has been popular ever since a number of famous writers visited the area in the sixteenth century.
Devonian, Outcrops, Scree, Rating: ♦♦♦♦

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Daddy Hole

Daddy Hole was once a highly productive quarry, but now forms part of the Torquay coastline. It is rich in Devonian corals and is now an SSSI. Corals can be found in both the quarry and scree slopes on the foreshore. Devonian, Cliffs, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦

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Hopes Nose

Hopes Nose is a headland two miles east of Torquay, which forms a finger-like rocky tip at the northern end of Torbay. All around this area are fossils, together with remnants of extinct corals which were formed when the Devonian seas were relatively shallow. The best place to see these is on the foreshore at Hope’s Nose when the tide is low. It’s in this area where you’ll also find Devonshire cup corals (Caryophyllia smithii) and brachiopods. Hope’s Nose is an SSSI location, so collecting from, or hammering the bedrock, is not permitted. However, it remains one of the most famous locations for Devonian corals, trilobites and bivalves in the UK. In fact, the Natural History Museum in London has many specimens on display from this site. Devonian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦

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Fremington

Along the banks of the River Taw at Fremington, rocks from the Devonian age can be seen packed with brachiopods and bivalves. The site is easy to access and makes a wonderful day out. All you need is a good eye and to stroll along the banks. Devonian, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦

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Croyde

Within the Baggy Beds at Baggy Point, layers of sandy deposits yield corals, bryozoans, brachiopods, bivalves and crinoids. However, these deposits can sometimes be hard to find and the fossils are poorly preserved. Devonian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦