The Yorkshire Coast is one of the most popular areas in the UK for fossil hunting, with extensive exposures of Jurassic rocks similar to those found along the Dorset coast. These deposits yield a wide range of fossils, including ammonites, belemnites, and frequent marine reptile remains.
Well-known locations such as Whitby, Port Mulgrave, and Robin Hood’s Bay provide regular opportunities for collecting, with fossils often exposed along the foreshore and cliffs. The area is also notable for exceptionally preserved Jurassic plant remains.
Further south, the Cretaceous Speeton Clay at Speeton offers a different range of fossils, comparable to the Gault Clay of Folkestone, adding to the geological diversity of the Yorkshire coast.
This is one of the first places many people come to along the Yorkshire Coast, but most come back with nothing, unless they know where and what to look for. The middle of the bay consists of boulder clay, but either side can be quite productive. This is a good location for a wide variety of specialist species of ammonites. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Whitby is one of the most iconic fossil localities on the Yorkshire coast, renowned for its rich Jurassic heritage and dramatic cliff scenery. While access to parts of the foreshore is tide-dependent and requires careful planning, the rewards can be considerable. The area is celebrated for its abundant ammonites, marine reptile remains and diverse shell beds, as well as for jet — fossilised wood from ancient conifer-like trees that became highly prized in Victorian jewellery. Its reputation means it is rarely quiet, but with patience and good timing.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Ammonites are quite common at Staithes and they are also easy to prepare. In addition, you do not need to walk far to find them. They can be found in nodules along the foreshore or within ledges ready to be picked out. It is a popular location. The start of the beach however is very slippery. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Once a thriving community with locally mined ironstone shipped from its own harbour, Port Mulgrave is now closed, but highly productive for a wide range of ammonites, along with reptile remains and more. It is one of the best locations for collecting in Yorkshire. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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This is a good location where you can find ammonites and bivalves. It can be a very productive location when the conditions are right, yielding a wide range of ammonite species. Most fossils are found on the foreshore. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Saltwick Bay yields many ammonites, reptiles and shells, and is also famous for jet, which is a type of lignite and considered to be a minor gemstone and popular for jewellery. Ammonites are often found in nodules, which are easy to split and found along the foreshore. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Cayton Bay yields ammonites and some superb gastropods, bivalves and brachiopods from the Oxford Clay. These are best found on extreme low tides on the foreshore. This location is best during scouring conditions. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Reighton Gap is an ideal location to stop by when walking to the popular nearby Speeton Cliffs. It has Kimmeridge Clay rich in ammonites and shells, but this is often covered up and requires scouring tides. The boulder clay however, yields a variety of erratic fossils of Jurassic, Cretaceous and Carboniferous age. Jurassic, Erratics (Jurassic, Cretaceous, Carboniferous), Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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The highly productive Speeton Clay yields ammonites, fish, shells and crustaceans. This location is similar to the famous Folkestone Beds. Speeton is also an excellent location for all the family, but can be very sticky in winter months. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Filey Brigg is a very famous foreshore platform that extends a long way out at low tide. Many walk along the Brigg, but often do not realise that superb plants and shells can be collected near the cliffs next to it. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Boggle Hole is to the southern end of Robin Hood’s Bay and is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). Foreshore exposures of siliceous shales yield a range of trace fossils and, during scouring conditions, some superb ammonites can be found. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
This is a very good location if you are into plant remains. The Gristhorpe Plant Bed yields some of the best specimens in Yorkshire. There is a wide variety of plants too, but ammonites and shells can also be found at this location. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The Long Nab Member exposed at Crook Ness yields the occasional plant remains or brachiopod. However, fossils are not easy to find and this location is overgrown in places, but is ideal for an alternative day out (but not recommended if time is limited). Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Hayburn Wyke is one of Yorkshire’s most important and rewarding plant fossil localities. This site exposes Middle Jurassic rocks that have yielded an exceptional diversity of fossil flora. The fine-grained sediments here preserve delicate leaf impressions in remarkable detail, offering a rare glimpse into the lush, humid landscapes that bordered the Jurassic sea around 170 million years ago. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Scalby Ness is another good location for collecting plant remains. It is not as highly productive as other Yorkshire locations, due to the limited area. However, you can still find some very good plant remains from the boulders on the foreshore. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
It is quite a long walk down to the beach, but ammonites are well preserved and often found at this location. They can be found both at the north and south end of Ravenscar, but unfortunately, there is very little beach material and cliff falls are rare. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
Cloughton Wyke is an excellent location for finding plant remains. The beds are rich in a variety of flora and collecting is fairly easy. Bivalves can also be found here, along with trace fossils, such as ripple marks and burrows. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Kettleness is the most productive location in Yorkshire for reptile remains. These are common and can be found loose or in nodules. Kettleness is also very popular for ammonites, which are similar to those from Port Mulgrave. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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