Somerset is dominated by Jurassic and Triassic rocks, with additional Devonian and Carboniferous deposits present in the western part of the county. These formations provide a varied range of fossil hunting opportunities.
The coastal areas around Watchet are particularly productive, with ammonites, belemnites, crinoids, and occasional reptile remains commonly found. Blue Anchor is well known for exposures of the Triassic bone bed, which also occurs at Aust along the River Severn.
Other locations such as Weston-super-Mare and Portishead yield fossil corals from older strata, making Somerset a diverse region for collecting fossils from multiple geological periods.
Watchet is a highly productive Jurassic location, well known for its reptile remains and abundant ammonites. The foreshore also reveals impressive geological features, including spectacular faulting and large ammonite casts, making it both scientifically important and visually striking. With regular fresh material exposed by erosion, it is a must-visit site for fossil collectors exploring this part of the Somerset coast.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Helwell Bay at Doniford is one of the best locations in Somerset for collecting iridescent ammonites, a highlight of the Blue Lias. The extensive foreshore also yields small white ammonites, reptile bones and a variety of bivalves, often exposed after erosion, making it a highly rewarding site for collectors. Classic Helwell Bay finds include the early Jurassic ammonites Psiloceras planorbis and Caloceras johnstoniJurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Blue Anchor exposes a thin but highly productive Rhaetian bone bed within the Penarth Group, yielding abundant reptile, shark and fish remains, similar to the famous Aust site on the Severn Estuary. The foreshore is scattered with blocks ideal for splitting, while the overlying Jurassic beds also produce ammonites and occasional reptile material, making this a varied and rewarding location.Triassic, Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Quantoxhead is a quiet and expansive stretch of the Somerset coast, where tall Jurassic cliffs and a wide wave-cut platform provide excellent fossil exposure. The foreshore regularly yields ammonites and occasional reptile remains, often after erosion, while the long rocky platform also features numerous rock pools, making it both a productive and scenic location to explore. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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This location is similar to Quantoxhead. Kilve is another location for collecting ammonites and reptile remains. However, vertebras are as common here as ammonites. It is also set in tranquil surroundings and is ideal for all the family to enjoy. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Hinkley Point is a productive coastal site where fish and reptile remains, including ichthyosaur vertebrae, are commonly found loose along the foreshore. The beach also yields ammonites and marine shells, often exposed after erosion, making it a rewarding location for collectors searching for vertebrate material.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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St Audries Bay is a quieter stretch of the Somerset Jurassic Coast, where Blue Lias cliffs and wave-cut platforms expose fossil-bearing beds. The foreshore can yield ammonites, reptile remains and marine shells, particularly after erosion, and although less productive than nearby sites, its lower footfall makes it an appealing location for collectors seeking a more peaceful experience.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Lilstock is a productive coastal site where reptile remains and loose bones can often be found along the foreshore, alongside Jurassic ammonites, bivalves and fish remains. At the eastern end of the bay, the Triassic Lilstock Formation yields blocks rich in fish, shark and reptile material, as well as microfossils from the sandstones, offering a varied collecting experience across two geological periods. Triassic, Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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The fields around Ilminster in Somerset are famed for their fossils from the Upper Lias Beacon Limestone Formation (formerly, the so-called ‘Junction Bed’). In particular, ammonites are sought after and, after ploughing, can be found in some numbers at this location, on the surface of the fields. Jurassic, Fields, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Weston-super-Mare is a fascinating geological location. Underwater volcanoes during the Carboniferous period sometimes buried life forms and preserved them in the rocks now exposed on the foreshore and cliff. Well-preserved corals, bryozoans, algae, bivalves and brachiopods can be found. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Portishead is an interesting location with both Carboniferous and Devonian rocks. At Battery Point, many corals and crinoids can be collected from the rocks on the foreshore and there are plenty to be found. Further along Woodhill Bay, fish remains are also commonly found. Carboniferous, Devonian, Cliffs and 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: ♦♦♦♦
The Chilcompton site is an old spoil heap form coal mining days, with a publically accessible footpath through the middle. Although now overgrown, the footpath still provides coal measure shale debris, which yields plant remains. Carboniferous, Spoil, Rating: ♦♦♦
Stocker Hole is a large disused quarry to the south of Radstock, The quarry has a footpath running right through the middle and contains Carboniferous Black Rock Limestone. Corals, and brachiopods are the most common fossils here, with Bryozoans also being found. Carboniferous, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦
Brown’s Folly is located in a nature reserve. Fossils can be found everywhere in the old quarries in the area and many exposures of Great Oolite can be seen. The reserve is managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust and kept clear by the Bath Geological Society. The site is an SSSI, so no hammering on the bedrock is allowed, but loose material can be picked up and collected. Jurassic, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦
