Mappleton’s glacial cliffs release a varied mixture of fossil-bearing stones onto the beach. Jurassic ammonites, shells and Carboniferous corals occur as transported erratics, with chalk and flint among the other rock types. The rapidly changing shore rewards careful observation, but cliff instability and former military activity require particular caution. Erratics (Jurassic, Carboniferous, Cretaceous), Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The beach south of Hornsea offers a changing mixture of fossil-bearing glacial erratics. Jurassic shells and ammonites, Cretaceous Chalk fossils and Carboniferous material may occur together because ice transported their parent rocks here long after the fossils formed. Erratics (Jurassic, Carboniferous, Cretaceous), Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Danes Dyke’s flintless Chalk is known for sponges and beautifully preserved crinoid plates. The shore on either side of the wooded ravine crosses different parts of the Late Cretaceous succession, making loose beach blocks rewarding to examine when tides and conditions are suitable. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Bridlington’s North Beach becomes increasingly rocky towards Sewerby, where fossil-bearing Chalk blocks occur among the shingle. Sponges, shells and echinoids are the main attractions, while glacially transported material adds a different part of the area’s geological story. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Easington’s glacial cliffs and foreshore yield fossil-bearing erratics of several ages, with Jurassic shells and Carboniferous corals among the recorded finds. The shore also has scientifically important Pleistocene sediments, but beach cover, erosion and a muddy descent make both exposure and access changeable. Erratics (Jurassic, Carboniferous, Cretaceous), Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Withernsea’s beaches offer a mixture of fossil-bearing stones released from the glacial deposits of Holderness. Ammonites, oysters and corals occur as older fossils in transported rocks. The town provides practical beach access, although sea defences, changing sand levels and unstable cliffs make the collecting conditions very different from an exposed bedrock shore. Erratics (Jurassic, Carboniferous, Cretaceous), Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Tunstall and Sand-le-Mere are known for fossil-bearing glacial erratics, including material much older than the cliffs that contain it. The coast also records a complex Ice Age history, but erosion has seriously affected beach access; do not rely on the former route described in older guides. Erratics (Jurassic, Carboniferous, Cretaceous), Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Ulrome’s eroding clay coast releases a mixture of fossil-bearing glacial erratics, including rocks much older than the Ice Age deposits that contain them. Access is changeable: establish a safe, permitted route before visiting this exposed stretch near Skipsea. Erratics (Jurassic, Carboniferous, Cretaceous), Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
