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: ♦♦♦
Writhlington’s conserved colliery-spoil rock store preserves a remarkable late Carboniferous wetland community. Plant impressions and rare terrestrial arthropods have made it internationally important, but this finite scientific resource is visited through controlled arrangements: obtain permission and current joining instructions before travelling. Carboniferous, Spoil, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Shanklin’s Lower Greensand cliffs and foreshore offer marine shells, moulds and occasional ammonites in iron-rich sands and concretions. The shore south towards Knock Cliff also has a history of rare dinosaur finds, while soft ground, falling cliffs and tidal cut-off demand careful planning. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Bracklesham Bay’s Eocene sands and clays yield shells, shark and ray remains when low tide and scour expose the beds. The guide centres on Bracklesham Lane and the nearby Earnley fossil horizons. The broader four-formation Bracklesham Group succession is spread along the bay, rather than exposed together by the car park. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
The shore from Holywell towards Cow Gap exposes fossiliferous Cretaceous chalk and an important Cenomanian–Turonian boundary section. Ammonites, bivalves and brachiopods occur in the rocks, but fossils in loose blocks may have fallen from higher beds. Tides, slippery ground and unstable cliffs make careful planning essential. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
The Seven Sisters cliffs east of Cuckmere Haven expose flinty Late Cretaceous chalk, with echinoids, shells and other fossils in loose material. Distinctive flint bands trace the bedding through the high brows. This guide follows the east-bank coast; Seaford Head across the river is a separate locality. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Hastings’ Early Cretaceous sandstone and mudstone preserve plant remains, shells and vertebrate fossils along the shore east of Rock-a-Nore. The cliffs towards Ecclesbourne Glen also record river channels and dinosaur footprints. Beach access changes as the coast erodes: use only an open, signed route and never cross a safety barrier. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The shore from Glyne Gap towards Galley Hill exposes Early Cretaceous sediments when beach scour removes the covering sand and shingle. The original guide records dinosaur footprints after the November 2000 storms. Fossils and traces are intermittent, and the fossiliferous beds belong to the Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Peacehaven’s Late Cretaceous chalk yields echinoids, molluscs and occasional fish remains, with beach scour controlling exposure. Fossils occur on the rocky foreshore and in loose blocks, while flint bands and marl seams reveal how the beds change between Bastion Steps and Friars Bay. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Newhaven’s Late Cretaceous chalk contains small Offaster pilula and larger Echinocorys echinoids, with finds strongly dependent on beach conditions. The cliffs from Castle Hill towards Old Nore Point reveal marl seams and flint bands that help trace the succession. Large ammonites in the wave-cut platform should be photographed and left intact. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The eroding coast at Easton Bavents, just north of Southwold, reveals Early Pleistocene sands, clays and gravels of the Norwich Crag. Shells, fish remains and rare mammal fossils record a changing North Sea coastline, although beach sand often hides the most productive beds. Pliocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The low cliffs at Stutton Ness preserve Middle Pleistocene river and estuary deposits with scientifically important mammal remains and shells. Older marine clay occurs separately farther west. Fossil finds are occasional, and visitors should approach on public paths, respect estate land and keep clear of soft tidal ground. Pleistocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
Crag Farm Pit at Sudbourne is the type locality of the Sudbourne Member of the Coralline Crag. Cross-bedded shelly sand and bryozoans preserve evidence of Pliocene tidal sandwaves. The pit is on private land: arrange permission and confirm the available exposure before travelling, with no assumption of public entry or digging rights. Pliocene, Disused Pit, Rating: ♦♦♦
Neutral Farm Pit near Butley exposes shelly Red Crag that records changing conditions in an early Pleistocene sea. Cross-bedded sands pass upwards into finer burrowed layers, with a small transported freshwater and land-shell component. This private geological site requires prior permission for entry and any collecting. Pliocene, Disused Pit, Rating: ♦♦♦
West Runton brings together two very different fossil worlds: Cretaceous chalk on the shore and the much younger West Runton Freshwater Bed at the foot of the cliffs. The latter preserved a river-valley community of mammals, fish, freshwater shells and plants, including the celebrated steppe mammoth Mammuthus trogontherii. When sand has been washed away, the chalk platform reveals flints and marine fossils. Search loose beach material carefully, keep a record of each find and treat these scientifically important exposures with care. Tides, shifting sand and unstable cliffs determine what can safely be seen. Pleistocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Trimingham is noted for some of the youngest Chalk exposed onshore in Britain, brought within reach when Ice Age glaciers displaced and folded large masses of bedrock. Near Little Marl Point, soft Lower Maastrichtian chalk contains small oysters, belemnites and other marine fossils, while more extensive foreshore sections appear only when beach conditions allow. The familiar oyster-rich beds are just one part of a much richer historical succession. Visit for careful loose-beach collecting and geological observation, rather than excavation of the fragile exposures. Access, sand cover, tides and active cliff movement can all change what is safely visible. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Rusey Cliff is a remote locality where Carboniferous shales and sandstones have been intensely folded, faulted and veined. Its principal interest is the Rusey Fault Zone; fossil reports from the original guide need careful interpretation among the striking quartz breccias and mineral textures. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Between Bude and Widemouth Bay, Upton Cross exposes steep sandstone ribs and dark shale with fossil-bearing concretions. The late Carboniferous Bude Formation has yielded fragmentary fish, burrows and arthropod traces, although finds are uncommon. This is a tide-dependent rocky shore, and the present beach approach must be checked before visiting. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
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. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Fossils can be found in many places, most fossils are found on the beach or in quarries but many have been found in some very unusual places. Below is a list of places that you could find fossils. Please note some places such as quarries and farm fields need permission before you can enter, other places where fossils form part of the construction such as sea defences and walls, should not even be attempted. Damaging other peoples property is not only illegal, but morally wrong.
What is stratigraphy? The word ‘stratigraphy’ is used to describe the study of rock layers or strata. The most fundamental principals employed within this discipline are: The law of superposition, which states that, within any […]
The Magazine on Fossils, Geology & Minerals. Deposits is both a printed and online magazine featuring articles by high profile authors. Deposits is a full colour glossy 52 page high quality earth science magazine. It is […]
White Park Bay on the north Antrim coast brings together Jurassic ammonites, fossil-bearing nodules and Cretaceous chalk in a broad sandy bay. Intermittent mudstone exposures around Oweynamuck contrast with the chalk cliffs and boulder-strewn shore towards Portbraddan. This protected coast rewards careful observation, with fossils best photographed in place unless the necessary collecting permission and consent have been established. Cretaceous, Jurassic, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The rocky shore beside Hook Lighthouse, in County Wexford, exposes fossil-rich Carboniferous limestone. Crinoids, brachiopods, corals and delicate bryozoan colonies can be seen weathering from its bedding surfaces. This is an exposed Atlantic headland and a protected shore: enjoy the fossils in place, with photography and careful observation at the centre of your visit. Carboniferous, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
