The Onny Trail, near Craven Arms, follows river and old railway exposures through an important Ordovician succession. Brachiopods, trilobites and other marine fossils accompany two very different geological contacts: Silurian strata above Ordovician rocks and, farther along the route, Ordovician grit above ancient Longmyndian basement. The historic five-area walk requires current access and safety checks. Silurian, Ordovician, Cuttings, Stream, and Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦
Vinnels, in Mortimer Forest near Ludlow, is a small stream-bank locality known for trilobite fragments and graptolites in Silurian mudstone. The documented trail-stop horizon belongs to the Middle Elton Formation. Historic collecting has left fragile, undercut banks, so enjoy the geological evidence from a safe position and obtain permission before removing material. Silurian, Stream and Cuttings, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Around Coniston, Ashgill Quarry, Ashgill Beck and Torver Beck reveal a varied succession of Ordovician and Silurian marine rocks. Trilobites and brachiopods occur in shell-bearing beds, while younger mudstones preserve graptolite assemblages. These are separate upland exposures, with steep quarry faces and fast-changing stream conditions; arrange collecting permission and leave protected rock faces undisturbed. Silurian, Ordovician, Cuttings, Disused Quarries, Rating: ♦♦♦
Stockdale Beck in Longsleddale is known for Silurian graptolite-bearing mudstones. The small exposure described near the old barn and bridge is separate from the more extensive Browgill reference section upstream. This protected beck requires care: arrange access and collecting permission, leave banks and bedrock untouched, and avoid high water or unsafe footing. Silurian, Stream, Rating: ♦
The hillside quarries above Stockdale Farm in Longsleddale expose Late Ordovician fossil-bearing rocks of the Stile End Formation. Their scientific importance includes type material of trilobites, although loose spoil commonly preserves incomplete, weathered moulds. Arrange access and collecting permission with the landowner before visiting these steep, exposed workings. Ordovician, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦
Hodgson How Quarry, near Portinscale, is a historically important Ordovician graptolite locality. Its Kirk Stile Formation mudstones preserve flattened fossils including Azygograptus lapworthi. Steep, unstable rock and uncertain current access make this a site for a carefully arranged geological visit, with landowner permission required before entry or collecting. Ordovician, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦
Abereiddy Bay is a classic place to see Ordovician graptolites in dark shale. The southern foreshore is especially known for the paired branches of the tuning-fork graptolite, while folded sediments and volcanic rocks around the bay tell a much more varied geological story. Ordovician, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Fishguard combines rugged volcanic scenery with reports of graptolites and trace fossils in occasional shale. This guide focuses on Pwll Landdu, the small cove east of Fishguard Fort; the fossil photographs illustrate the reported material, although their exact collecting bed has not been established. Ordovician, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
Druidston Haven combines graptolite-bearing Ordovician shale, younger Carboniferous rocks and a remarkable record of Ice Age deposition. The broad beach offers opportunities to observe loose fossil-bearing material and see how faulting and glaciation have brought very different chapters of geological history together. Ordovician and Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Above Porthgain’s harbour, loose slate waste records the village’s quarrying past. Fossils are uncommon, but occasional graptolites reward a careful look at natural surfaces, while the cliffs and surviving stone hoppers reveal a much wider geological and industrial story. Ordovician, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
Upper Gilwern Quarry, near Howey in Powys, is known for its well-preserved Ordovician trilobites, from tiny growth stages to occasional complete specimens. Its fine-grained rocks record an ancient marine environment. This privately owned quarry is available to booked accommodation guests under the operator’s current access and collecting conditions. Ordovician, Private Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
These series of disused quarries, in Llandrindod Wells, are rich in trilobites and graptolites. The largest of the quarries has deep water (also shown on OS maps), and is now fenced over following an accident in which a child sadly drowned. A second quarry, slightly further to the northeast, contains no water and has easy access, with productive shales. Ordovician, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
A small stream cutting near Bettws exposes Ordovician mudstone with occasional trilobite fragments and graptolites. Its dark, fissile rocks offer a close view of marine life preserved in a much older succession than many of the surrounding Silurian hills. Ordovician, Stream cutting, Rating: ♦♦
Dob’s Linn is a famous location for graptolites and, indeed, is one of the best, and you can collect many different species form the shale. However, the location can be hard to find, but it is well worth the trip. Be sure you bring paper to wrap up your specimens. Ordovician, Silurian, Cuttings, Outcrops, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
The volcanic rocks at Aldons Quarry contain a variety of Ordovician fossils, including trilobites, brachiopods, bivalves, cephalopods, gastropods, graptolites and goniatites. They can be found in mudstones, which can be seen in the scree slopes. Ordovician, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦
Ordovician rocks at Craighead Quarry are very fossiliferous and this disused quarry is often visited by local schools and colleges to study the fossils and geology at this site. While it is now quite overgrown, there is still plenty to be found. The most common finds are graptolites, brachiopods, trilobites and goniatites. Ordovician, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦
The rocks at Shalloch (to the south of Girvan) to Whitehouse, including Woodland Bay, contain fossil graptolites and trilobites. Girvan is a well-documented area for fossils and is one of the most popular areas to collect in Scotland. This foreshore location is easy to access, but you will need the correct tools. Ordovician, Silurian, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Ardwell Bay, south of Girvan, is the best coastal location in the area for finding fossils. Graptolites are the most common, with orthocone fragments and trilobites also being quite common. In addition, brachiopods can be found. The rocks you need to split are easy to identify, being black when weathered. Ordovician, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
At Kennedy’s Pass, there is a formation that is full of conglomerate units, mudstones, siltstones and sandstones. Within this, you can find a wide range of fossils, including trilobites, graptolites, corals and brachiopods. However, they are not easy to find. The productive beds are lower down, which are mostly covered up by the less productive upper beds. Ordovician, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
The coastline to the south of Kirkcudbright has low cliffs of shale, which is also exposed along the foreshore. There are several areas where the shales contain fossils from certain zones, although these are very hard to find. Graptolites, cephalopods and crustaceans can all be found. Silurian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
