Foxhole Point Fossil Hunting

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.

FIND FREQUENCY: ♦♦ – Goniatite impressions and reported plant fragments can be difficult to recognise in the thin shale.
CHILDREN: ♦ – The technical rocky extension is unsuitable for young children or anyone unable to negotiate slippery, inclined bedding.
ACCESS: ♦♦ – Very limited parking at Millook, narrow roads and a tide-dependent rocky approach.
TYPE: Cliffs and foreshore, with the fossil-bearing shale at Foxhole Point north of Millook.

DIRECTIONS

♦ From the A39 at Coppathorne, follow the road towards Widemouth Bay and the coastal road south to Millook. Millook lies at the bottom of a narrow valley, with a small bridge close to the beach.
♦ The lanes are steep, narrow and sharply bent. There is room for only one or two cars by Millook beach; use only lawful signed space and keep the bridge, entrances and passing places clear. If full, change your plan rather than forcing roadside parking.
♦ Follow the established access to Millook beach. Foxhole Point is at its northern end, beyond the folded sandstone coast. Proceed only if the rocky shore and the entire return route are safely exposed; the coast-path walk is not a guarantee of a usable foreshore route.
♦ Original locality reference: 50.77593°N, 4.57409°W. Do not substitute the long rocky approach from Widemouth for a safe access plan.

FOSSIL HUNTING

The original guide identifies grey to lilac-grey shale between the prominent thick sandstone beds at Foxhole Point as the productive material. Examine naturally weathered surfaces of detached shale where collecting is allowed. Curved shell outlines, ribbing and chamber divisions can distinguish a goniatite impression from a crack or mineral stain. Cleavage and deformation may stretch or flatten the shell, so incomplete examples are often best left identified simply as goniatites.

The independently documented ammonoids are Verneuilites sigma and Bilinguites cf. superbilinguis. The qualified second identification should remain qualified. Together the published record points to the very top of the Marsdenian, rather than merely a general Carboniferous age. These named records are important scientific evidence, not a promise of complete, readily identifiable shells on each visit.

Plant fragments are reported in the original guide, but no securely identified local plant genus is established here. Its old placement of Donetzoceras sigma after “plant remains” was misleading: that name refers to an ammonoid, not a plant. Look for coherent dark organic films and repeated biological structure in potential plant material, rather than assuming every black patch is fossil vegetation.

Sandstone bedding surfaces also show sedimentary structures. Ripples, tool or scour marks, quartz veins and weathered concretions are not automatically trace fossils. A hand lens and light from a low angle are useful; photograph an identifiable surface before further handling. Record the matrix and exact area, retain counterparts where a loose specimen may legally be collected, and do not extract fossils from the beds or climb onto scree beneath the cliffs.

A chronological record of fossil discoveries, geological research and site history at Foxhole Point.

1972 – Foxhole fauna documented
Freshney, McKeown and Williams recorded the locality’s fossil evidence in their geological memoir of the Tintagel–Bude coast, providing material for later correlation. The publication year is not a verified collection date.

1990 – Coastal geological protection revised
Boscastle to Widemouth was re-notified on 21 September, encompassing the scientifically important folded and fossil-bearing coast at Millook and Foxhole.

1996 – Ammonoids placed in a precise interval
Cleal and Thomas synthesised the Foxhole record of Verneuilites sigma and Bilinguites cf. superbilinguis, linking it to the uppermost Marsdenian. This was a stratigraphic synthesis, not the naming of a new species.

GEOLOGY

Foxhole belongs to the Crackington Formation of the Holsworthy Group. Alternating fine sandstone and mud were deposited in a marine basin: sediment gravity flows introduced sand, with quieter muddy intervals between events. The resistant sandstone now forms prominent ribs and inclined slabs, while the less durable shale provides the fossil-bearing surfaces described at the point.

The ammonoid-bearing interval supplies more precise age evidence than the appearance of the rocks alone. The published Verneuilites sigma and Bilinguites cf. superbilinguis record places it near the top of the Marsdenian. It should not be merged with the older fauna at Cancleave or the younger Langsettian fauna at Wanson simply because all occur in the Crackington Formation.

The zigzag cliffs around Millook chiefly display tight chevron folding produced during Variscan deformation, with faults adding further complication. These later structures tilt, repeat and disrupt the original layers. A journey along the foreshore is consequently not a simple time sequence, and the available exact-point evidence does not support an invented set of named members or a continuous measured bed log.

Detailed geology and stratigraphy of Foxhole Point, including the limits of local correlation.

This account concerns Foxhole Point and its immediate Millook approach. Nearby coastal sites provide structural context but their fossil bands, measured logs and bed numbers are not added to Foxhole.

HOLSWORTHY GROUP

The formal parent group of the Crackington Formation. Historical “Culm” terminology describes a broader regional setting.

Crackington Formation

Fine sandstone alternates with thinner shale or mudstone. The original collecting description identifies grey to lilac-grey shale between the prominent sandstone beds at the point. “Crackington Measures” is an older name, not a separate formation or member.

Uppermost Marsdenian ammonoid horizon
The recorded assemblage comprises Verneuilites sigma and Bilinguites cf. superbilinguis. It indicates the Verneuilites sigma Subzone of the Bilinguites superbilinguis Zone at the very top of the Marsdenian. No thickness or formal bed number is justified by this record.

Thin shale and thicker sandstone facies
The shale provides fine surfaces on which flattened shells and reported plant fragments may be seen; stronger sandstone beds dominate the relief. The original guide’s unproductive scree observation applies to its reported approach exposure, not to all shale in Millook. Loose material has uncertain bed provenance unless its source is demonstrable.

Depositional structures
Turbiditic sandstone records sediment-gravity-flow events, while mud accumulated between them. Primary ripples and sole structures must be separated from later cleavage, quartz veins and deformation, and are not all biological traces.

Chevron folds, faults and incomplete continuity
The Millook–Foxhole coastal section is an important structural exposure. Tight folding and faults limit reconstruction of an uninterrupted succession. No formal local member subdivision, total exact-point thickness or numbered bed series has been established for this guide.

References
Cleal & Thomas (1996), British Upper Carboniferous Stratigraphy, GCR 11, Chapter 3: Culm Trough, especially the Crackington Coast account
BGS Lexicon: Holsworthy Group
BGS Lexicon: Crackington Formation
Jens Lehmann (2020), Fabulous folds: Variscan tectonics in southwest England, Deposits Magazine; Millook and regional context

SAFETY

Foxhole is a demanding rocky extension, not simply a continuation of the sandy beach. Inclined bedding, wet algae, boulders and wave wash can make progress hazardous. Barnacles are abrasive and do not make a steep slab safe. Avoid the route if footing or swell is doubtful.

The point and return route are tide-dependent. Plan around low or falling water and turn back with a generous margin, before a rising sea threatens the way out. Keep well clear of overhanging or crumbling cliffs and do not cross scree beneath them.

EQUIPMENT

Wear sturdy footwear with reliable grip and carry tide/weather information, water, a camera and a hand lens. Use wrapping and a rigid box only for small loose specimens that you are allowed to take. There is no need to bring extraction tools for an observation visit.

CLEANING AND TREATING

Thin shale impressions need support. Keep any legally collected part and counterpart together, allow damp rock to dry gradually and start with a soft dry brush. Avoid soaking, acid, bleach, varnish and aggressive splitting or grinding. Preserve significant specimens in their matrix for specialist examination.

IDENTIFY YOUR FINDS

FURTHER READING

Jens Lehmann (2020), Fabulous folds: Variscan tectonics in southwest England, Deposits Magazine; Millook and regional context
Cleal & Thomas (1996), British Upper Carboniferous Stratigraphy, GCR 11, Chapter 3: Culm Trough, especially the Crackington Coast account
BGS Lexicon: Crackington Formation
South West Coast Path: Dizzard Point walk and Millook access

ACCESS RIGHTS

Foxhole Point and Millook lie within Boscastle to Widemouth SSSI. Follow public routes and current local notices. Walking access does not confer permission to remove fossils.

Observe and photograph the beds without hammering or excavation. Take loose material only where current landowner rules allow it. Protected-site management guidance recognises that responsible collecting can sometimes be acceptable, but it does not provide unrestricted collecting permission at this point.

Original guide’s designation document (historical copy; check current notices and the official site record above): SSSI Information – Foxhole Point

It is important to follow our ‘Code of Conduct’ when collecting fossils or visiting any site. Please also read our ‘Terms and Conditions‘

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