FOSSIL HUNTING BY REGION
The north of Scotland is an important area for fossil hunting, particularly in the northeast, where a range of significant deposits are exposed. This region includes some of the few locations in Scotland where Jurassic fossils can be collected, including ammonites and occasional marine reptile remains along the coast, influenced by the Helmsdale Fault.
Helmsdale itself is a classic site, known for its geological significance and evidence of ancient events, while the surrounding coast provides access to Jurassic strata. These exposures are rare within Scotland and offer valuable collecting opportunities.
The region is also famous for its Devonian fish deposits, with sites such as Achanarras Quarry and Thurso yielding exceptionally well-preserved specimens, including material from which new species have been described.
14 location guides
14 locations
The thin flagstones of Achanarras Quarry preserve a remarkable community of Middle Devonian freshwater fishes. This disused Caithness quarry offers the chance to examine finely layered lake sediments and search loose…
Read the guide →South of Balintore, Jurassic foreshore ledges at Port-an-Righ and Cadh’-an-Righ lie against Devonian sandstone along the Great Glen fault system. Oysters and belemnites occur here, while red-weathering ironstone nodules preserve ammonites.…
Read the guide →Brora’s town beaches reveal a varied Jurassic shoreline, with fossil-bearing rocks on both sides of the river mouth. Ammonites, bivalves and belemnites occur in the marine beds, while older rocks on…
Read the guide →Crakaig’s Jurassic foreshore is a rocky, seaweed-covered shore north of the campsite, with striking sedimentary boulder beds and occasional exposures of finer fossil-bearing rock. The original visit recorded ammonites and shells,…
Read the guide →A steep woodland walk leads to Eathie Haven, where Hugh Miller explored a shore rich in geological contrasts. Jurassic ammonites and exceptionally preserved plants come from the rocks south of the…
Read the guide →Below Dunrobin Castle, the foreshore north of Golspie reveals a changing landscape of Triassic soils, river deposits and Lower Jurassic marine rocks. Shelly beds contain bivalves and brachiopods, with rarer ammonites…
Read the guide →Helmsdale’s Late Jurassic foreshore records an ancient submarine landscape beside an active fault. Its distinctive Boulder Beds contain broken shells, corals and fossil wood, together with enormous blocks of much older…
Read the guide →The low shore east of John O’Groats pier exposes a Middle Devonian fish bed within the John O’Groats Sandstone Formation. Fish scales and fragments are more likely to be recognised than…
Read the guide →Kintradwell's Jurassic foreshore combines fossiliferous shales with folded sandstones and spectacular boulder beds. When the sand has cleared, ammonites, belemnites and bivalves can be seen among rocks that record an unstable…
Read the guide →Lothbeg’s Jurassic foreshore brings together pale sandstone, dark laminated siltstone and drifted plant fossils on the Sutherland coast. Around Lothbeg Point, ammonites and shells record a deepening sea beside an active…
Read the guide →Portgower’s seaweed-covered foreshore exposes Jurassic boulder beds containing shell debris and enormous blocks of much older rock. The best-known is the ‘fallen stack’, a transported mass of Devonian flagstone with traces…
Read the guide →The Jurassic river cliffs at Bruachrobie preserve belemnites, fragile ammonite impressions and traces of life on a changing seabed. Alternating mudstones and sandstones of the Strathsteven Mudstone Formation make this a…
Read the guide →At Tarbat Ness, Devonian sandstone ledges near the lighthouse have yielded small fish remains, chiefly scales and occasional larger fragments. The exposed rocky shore also offers striking cross-bedding and pebbly river…
Read the guide →The rocky shore east of Thurso exposes Middle Devonian flagstones with abundant fragmentary fossil fish remains. Scales and pieces of bony armour are the most realistic finds; complete fish are much…
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