Monmouth Beach, Lyme Regis, exposes classic Lower Jurassic Lias beds similar to those at Church Cliffs, making it one of the most iconic fossil sites on the Dorset coast. The foreshore regularly yields ammonites, bivalves and marine reptile remains, although success is heavily dependent on conditions. After storms and strong scouring, fresh material is revealed, often producing some of the best finds along the Jurassic Coast.Jurassic, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Seatown is one of Dorset’s classic fossil-hunting locations, offering rich Jurassic material set against some of the most dramatic coastal scenery on the south coast. However, it can be more dangerous than many nearby localities due to the exceptionally high and unstable cliffs, so care is always required. Fossils are commonly found loose along the foreshore, with some of the finest specimens—particularly ammonites—preserved within hard nodules that require careful preparation. During periods of strong coastal scouring, belemnites can occur in abundance across the beach.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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The eastern shore of Lyme Regis exposes Early Jurassic limestone and shale at Church Cliffs, East Cliff and Broad Ledge. Ammonites, belemnites and shells are the familiar fossils, while named limestone ledges and dark mudstones reveal a detailed marine succession with a long history of scientific study. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Just west of Seatown, the quieter stretch of Eype exposes the fossil-rich Beacon Limestone Formation. The foreshore is scattered with fallen limestone blocks, many containing ammonites and other Jurassic fossils. Collecting here can be challenging, as specimens are often locked within hard rock, but with patience and the right conditions—especially after storms—well-preserved finds can still be made. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Burton Cliff combines towering Bridport Sand cliffs with a thin but exceptionally fossiliferous cap of Inferior Oolite limestone. Detached limestone can contain ammonites, sponges, echinoids and shells, but the cliffs are dangerously unstable: their geological interest is best appreciated from well outside the rockfall zone. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Tidmoor Point, on the edge of The Fleet lagoon opposite Chesil Beach, is a small but highly productive Oxford Clay locality. Best known for its pyritised and limonitic ammonites, the low cliffs and foreshore regularly yield a wide range of fossils, including belemnites, crinoids, crustaceans, fish and occasional reptile remains. Despite its modest size, it remains one of the most reliable sites for collectors searching for well-preserved Jurassic fossils. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Smallmouth Sands, located within Portland Harbour near Weymouth, is one of the UK’s most remarkable yet often overlooked fossil sites, exposing the Lower Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay. It is one of the most diverse assemblages of Kimmeridge Clay reptiles anywhere in the world. Fossils are typically tiny but abundant, with collectors finding vertebrate remains, fish, and shells scattered across the foreshore, especially after favourable tides and storms.Jurassic, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Thorncombe Beacon is a highly productive Jurassic location, yielding a wide range of fossils including ammonites, bivalves, brachiopods, belemnites, crinoids and occasional starfish specimens. The foreshore is scattered with fallen blocks from the cliffs above, many of which contain well-preserved fossils. However, the rock here is extremely hard, meaning extraction can be challenging and often requires patience and effort, particularly when working freshly fallen material after storms.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Ringstead Bay is a wonderful location, with rocks and fossils from the Corallian, Kimmeridge Clay, Purbeck Beds and Portland Beds to be found. The site consists mostly of Kimmeridge Clay from the Upper Jurassic. It is rich in fossils and with easy parking, toilets and refreshments nearby; it’s an ideal, safe location for the family. The site is productive in either direction from the access point. This location is also just a short walk away from other good sites and makes for an ideal day trip. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Osmington Mills, west of Ringstead Bay, reveals a varied Upper Jurassic Corallian succession of sandstone, clay, marl and limestone. Bivalves, ammonites, echinoids and distinctive burrows and ooidal beds help explain changing shallow seas, although the rocky foreshore and unstable cliffs demand care. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The stretch of coastline from Peveril Point into the eastern half of Durlston Bay exposes part of the renowned Purbeck Limestone Group, one of the most important Late Jurassic–earliest Cretaceous sequences in Britain. This section is particularly known for its accessible ledges and foreshore exposures, where fossils can be found without venturing too far into the more hazardous parts of the bay. Although finds can be small and require careful searching, this area offers a rewarding introduction to the complex lagoonal environments of the Purbeck beds, with a mix of vertebrate fragments, shells and microfossils regularly discovered.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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White Nothe, between Ringstead and Lulworth Cove, is a dramatic and lesser-visited section of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. This steep headland exposes a mix of Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks, with landslips bringing fossil-bearing material onto the foreshore. Although challenging to access, it can yield ammonites and other marine fossils under the right conditions, making it a rewarding location for experienced collectors seeking quieter ground. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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From the Zig Zag path to Durlston Head, the western half of Durlston Bay reveals some of the finest and most complete exposures of the Purbeck Limestone Group in the UK. This section is more rugged and challenging, with steep cliffs, ledges and active rockfall zones, but it is also the most productive for serious collectors. The beds here are famous for yielding tiny mammal remains, reptile material, fish fossils and dinosaur traces, offering a rare glimpse into life in the lagoonal and coastal environments that existed at the end of the Jurassic period. While conditions can be difficult, this part of the bay is one of the most scientifically significant fossil localities on the Dorset coast. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Chapman’s Pool is a remote cove beneath Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay and younger cliff-capping rocks. Ammonites, shells and trace fossils record the changing sea, but a long descent, unstable cliffs and tidal headlands make this a demanding locality best approached for observation rather than an extended shore traverse. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Bowleaze Cove exposes both the famous Oxford Clay Formation and the overlying Corallian Group, making it one of the most geologically interesting locations around Weymouth. While the historic Oxford Clay exposures that once produced abundant marine reptile remains are now much reduced, the foreshore east of the main beach continues to yield a wide variety of fossils, including ammonites, belemnites, bivalves and trace fossils. The best collecting is generally found beyond the sandy beach beneath Ham Cliff, where fallen Corallian blocks and material washed from the cliffs can provide rewarding finds. The terrain is rough and uneven, consisting of boulders, shingle and fallen rock, so sturdy footwear is essential.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Kimmeridge Bay’s dark Jurassic mudstones and resistant limestone ledges reveal a detailed marine succession. Ammonites and other shells can be seen in suitable exposures, and loose foreshore fossils may be collected under the local estate code, which prohibits hammering, digging and breaking rocks or nodules. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Pirates Cove, near Wyke Regis, is a small but highly productive section of Corallian cliffs, offering a rich and varied fossil assemblage. The easily accessible foreshore, when conditions allow, yields abundant gastropods, bivalves and echinoids, often weathering out from the soft limestones and clays. While compact in size, the diversity of fossils and regular fresh exposure make it a rewarding stop, especially when combined with nearby fossil hunting locations along this stretch of coast.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Lulworth Cove’s shape reveals the contrast between resistant Portland limestone and softer inland strata, backed by folded and faulted Chalk. Shells, lagoonal beds and the separately accessed Fossil Forest tell a varied geological story; follow the estate’s code and leave rocks, stones and fixed features in place. Jurassic, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Portland records the change from marine Portland limestone to the lagoonal limestones and soils of the basal Purbeck succession. Shell-rich beds, chert and microbial structures make this an important geological section, but quarry edges and the unverified shore descent require an observation-first visit from open lawful paths. Jurassic, Cliffs, Foreshore, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦
This varied Cretaceous site offers a refreshing contrast to Dorset’s more famous Jurassic locations, exposing a mix of Chalk, Greensand and underlying Wealden deposits. The foreshore and cliffs can yield a diverse range of fossils, including echinoids, bivalves, brachiopods and occasional ammonites from the Chalk, alongside rarer finds such as dinosaur bone fragments from the Wealden. With multiple formations represented, it provides a unique opportunity to collect across different Cretaceous environments in one location. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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The Fleet-side exposures near Langton Herring preserve Bathonian shell beds and brachiopod-rich limestone in a varied Jurassic succession. Oyster banks, encrusting organisms and separate marker horizons are of specialist interest, but reserve access and collecting restrictions mean that an ordinary visit should stay on public paths. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
West Bay’s East Cliff is a striking exposure of yellow Bridport Sand, where harder sandstone bands stand out against softer sand. Belemnites, occasional ammonite moulds and burrows and shell remains reward close observation of safely accessible material, although fossils are generally less plentiful than at nearby Burton Bradstock. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Watton Cliff is one of Britain’s most important Middle Jurassic microfossil localities, exposing the fossil-rich Forest Marble Formation above the Frome Clay. While larger fossils such as brachiopods, crinoids, sharks’ teeth and reptile remains can be found, the site is best known for its remarkable microvertebrate fauna, including some of the oldest mammal remains discovered in the UK. Careful collection and processing of samples can reveal an extraordinary range of tiny fossils hidden within the sediments. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Hengistbury Head preserves Eocene sands, clays and ironstone horizons beneath younger river gravels. The headland’s burrows, sparse marine fossils and scientifically recorded plant remains are best explored through geological observation and photography: reserve rules prohibit removing soil and stones. Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Studland’s South Beach and Redend Point bring together Upper Cretaceous Chalk and Eocene sands and clays. Marine shells occur in the Chalk, while plant debris and occasional leaves characterise part of the younger succession; tidal headlands and fragile exposures require careful observation and respect for conservation rules. Eocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Visit Spyway Dinosaur Footprints near Langton Matravers to discover sauropod tracks, Early Cretaceous geology and the story of their discovery at the former Keates Quarry site. An outdoor National Trust attraction for viewing fossils in place; no collecting. Cretaceous, Visitor attraction — no fossil collecting
