Garden Cliff at Westbury-on-Severn exposes a Late Triassic succession with fish remains, reptile bones and richly patterned sandstone surfaces. The locality gave its name to the Westbury Formation, and its several bone-bearing horizons preserve an important record of changing shallow-water conditions. Visiting the tidal shore requires care around mud, rising water and unstable cliffs. Triassic, Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Crickley Hill combines wide views, old quarries and a remarkable record of Early and Middle Jurassic seas. The fossil-rich Pea Grit is especially important for small brachiopods, echinoids and coated grains. Explore this country park and nature reserve through observation and photography, using signed paths and current access information. Jurassic, Disused Quarries, Scree, Rating: ♦
Robinswood Hill’s Early Jurassic quarry exposes a remarkable succession of marine mudstones, silts and fossil-bearing harder beds. Belemnites, bivalves and brachiopods can be recognised in weathered rock, while scientific studies have recorded ammonites and exceptionally preserved sea lilies. This is an observation and photography site: leave fossils and stones where they lie, as requested by the published visitor guidance. Jurassic, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦
Leckhampton Hill’s old quarries expose a classic Middle Jurassic limestone succession, with shell-rich beds, pale building stone and the striking Devil’s Chimney. The hill offers rewarding fossil observation and a varied geology walk above Cheltenham. Use the signed paths and check the council’s current collecting terms before removing any material. Jurassic, Outcrops, Disused Quarries, Rating: ♦♦♦
Cleeve Common’s old quarries reveal a varied Middle Jurassic limestone succession, from pale building-stone oolites to beds rich in shells. Rolling Bank and Pot Quarry are especially important for strata preserved in very few places. Enjoy the fossils, rock textures and wide views through observation and photography; Cleeve Common Trust prohibits removing stone or fossils from the common. Jurassic, Disused Quarries, Rating: ♦♦♦
Gilberts Grave is a wooded railway-cutting locality associated with Clypeus ploti echinoids and fossiliferous Middle Jurassic limestone. Its weathered rock faces illustrate the shelly Clypeus Grit of the Cotswolds. Access must be confirmed before a visit: closure has been reported at Chedworth Nature Reserve, and the current route and collecting terms remain unverified. Jurassic, Disused Railway Cutting, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Saltburn’s Lower Jurassic cliffs and rocky foreshore yield belemnites, bivalves, brachiopods and ammonites. Search the loose beach material east of the beck, where fossils weather from several different rock units beneath Hunt Cliff; the harder sandstone and ironstone blocks can be difficult to prepare. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Redcar’s shingle beach at Millclose Howles, beside the Stray between Redcar and Marske-by-the-Sea, offers an accessible introduction to fossil hunting. Look for rolled ammonite fragments and bivalves among loose pebbles. The fossils have been reworked, so individual finds need careful identification; this is a tidal beach, and children need supervision even beside the easily reached shore. Jurassic, 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: ♦♦♦♦
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: ♦♦♦
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: ♦♦♦
The fossil-rich Tilton railway cutting exposes rusty Jurassic ironstone, shell-packed limestone and overlying mudstone. Its brachiopod beds and changing marine environments make it an important geological reserve. Visit to observe and photograph the fossils: collecting is not permitted, and the rock faces must not be hammered. Jurassic, Disused Railway Cutting, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
The Vale of Belvoir offers a different kind of fossil hunt: searching weathered Lias limestone and field brash among a landscape of low clay hills. The Long Lane routes towards Barkestone-le-Vale and Belvoir introduce the area, but searching fields and taking fossils require the landowner’s permission and suitable ground conditions. Jurassic, Ploughed Fields, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Irchester Country Park preserves the last face of Wembley Pit, where Jurassic ironstone, rooted clays and fossiliferous limestone record changing seas and coastal wetlands. Brachiopods, bivalves and other marine fossils can be studied alongside the quarry’s industrial history, with managed paths and viewpoints providing the safest way to explore. Jurassic, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦
The flooded brickpits at Yaxley, beside Hampton Vale, preserve a glimpse of the Middle Jurassic sea beneath modern Peterborough. Weathering of the fossil-rich Oxford Clay has yielded oysters, belemnites, ammonites and occasional marine-reptile remains along the lake embankment. The exposed shore changes with water level and vegetation, and access to lakeside paths does not automatically permit collecting on the banks. Check current signs and obtain permission before leaving the paths or removing material. Jurassic, Lake Embankment, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Penarth’s north shore reveals red and green Triassic cliffs, pale gypsum and fossil-bearing beach stones. This guide follows the shore north from the pier towards Penarth Head, where loose shell fossils reward careful observation, but tides, unstable cliffs and uncertain collecting permissions demand care. Jurassic, Triassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
At Lavernock Point, the coast records a remarkable transition from late Triassic mudflats to an Early Jurassic sea. Shells, ammonites and vertebrate remains occur in different parts of the succession, and the discovery of Dracoraptor hanigani made the locality internationally known. Careful observation reveals both the fossils and the changing environments that preserved them. Jurassic, Triassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
At Llantwit Major’s Cwm Colhuw beach, pale limestone ledges and darker mudstones reveal a fossil-rich Early Jurassic sea. Ammonites and bivalves are the main attractions, often preserved as impressions or shells within the foreshore rocks. The striking cliffs and jointed platforms also make this a rewarding place to see how sedimentary rocks weather and break apart. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Southerndown’s Dunraven Bay brings together a sandy beach, striking Early Jurassic limestone cliffs and fossil-rich shore platforms. Look closely at the Blue Lias and you can see curved oysters, other bivalves, ammonites and traces of life on an ancient seabed. The changing rocks also reveal how a Jurassic sea spread across an older limestone landscape. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The shingle shore at Gileston, near Limpert Bay, offers a quieter way to look for traces of Jurassic life. Some loose rocks contain shells and ammonite impressions, while small crinoid fragments have also been reported. The interest lies in careful observation of weathered beach stones and in understanding how much older fossils became part of a modern shoreline. Jurassic, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
The thin flagstones of Achanarras Quarry preserve a remarkable community of Middle Devonian freshwater fishes. This disused Caithness quarry offers the chance to examine finely layered lake sediments and search loose spoil for scales, armour and, with patience, more complete fish. NatureScot welcomes visitors and allows limited collecting under its published site rules. Devonian, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Helmsdale’s Late Jurassic foreshore records an ancient submarine landscape beside an active fault. Its distinctive Boulder Beds contain broken shells, corals and fossil wood, together with enormous blocks of much older Devonian rock. The shore northeast of the harbour rewards careful observation, although its rocky ground and tidal headlands require planning. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Lothbeg’s Jurassic foreshore brings together pale sandstone, dark laminated siltstone and drifted plant fossils on the Sutherland coast. Around Lothbeg Point, ammonites and shells record a deepening sea beside an active fault, while leaves and other plant fragments reveal the nearby land. Exposure changes as sand and seaweed cover the rocks. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Below Dunrobin Castle, the foreshore north of Golspie reveals a changing landscape of Triassic soils, river deposits and Lower Jurassic marine rocks. Shelly beds contain bivalves and brachiopods, with rarer ammonites and belemnites, but sand and seaweed often conceal the best exposures. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
A steep woodland walk leads to Eathie Haven, where Hugh Miller explored a shore rich in geological contrasts. Jurassic ammonites and exceptionally preserved plants come from the rocks south of the old fishing station, while much older Devonian beds to the north have yielded fossil fish. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Kintradwell’s Jurassic foreshore combines fossiliferous shales with folded sandstones and spectacular boulder beds. When the sand has cleared, ammonites, belemnites and bivalves can be seen among rocks that record an unstable ancient sea floor beside the Helmsdale Fault. Allow for a long coastal walk. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Brora’s town beaches reveal a varied Jurassic shoreline, with fossil-bearing rocks on both sides of the river mouth. Ammonites, bivalves and belemnites occur in the marine beds, while older rocks on the south foreshore record rivers, lagoons and the development of the Brora coalfield. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Portgower’s seaweed-covered foreshore exposes Jurassic boulder beds containing shell debris and enormous blocks of much older rock. The best-known is the ‘fallen stack’, a transported mass of Devonian flagstone with traces of ancient lake environments. This is a rewarding shore for studying fossils in their geological setting, although uneven rocks and tidal cover make close examination demanding. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The Jurassic river cliffs at Bruachrobie preserve belemnites, fragile ammonite impressions and traces of life on a changing seabed. Alternating mudstones and sandstones of the Strathsteven Mudstone Formation make this a valuable Callovian geological section, best appreciated from safe established paths. Jurassic, River Cliffs, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
South of Balintore, Jurassic foreshore ledges at Port-an-Righ and Cadh’-an-Righ lie against Devonian sandstone along the Great Glen fault system. Oysters and belemnites occur here, while red-weathering ironstone nodules preserve ammonites. The best exposures depend on low tides and the shifting cover of sand and shingle. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Bearreraig Bay on the Isle of Skye exposes a Jurassic marine succession rich in ammonites, belemnites and bivalves, with important fossil plants and an international Aalenian–Bajocian boundary reference section. The steep approach and tidal shore demand care; collecting depends on current permissions and conservation rules. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Elgol’s bivalve-packed Jurassic rocks bring ancient lagoons to life beneath the Black Cuillin skyline. The shore north of the harbour reveals shell-rich limestones, burrows and mudcracks, while the wider coast preserves a remarkable record of Middle Jurassic vertebrates and changing coastal environments. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Belemnites and shell-packed rocks bring the Jurassic shore at Faoilean to life. On the west side of Loch Slapin, sandstone cobbles and outcrops contain bivalves and belemnite fragments, with rare ammonite remains recorded farther north. The shore also introduces the sandstone succession for which this part of Skye is geologically important. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Lustrous ammonites, belemnites and shell-filled nodules make Flodigarry’s Jurassic shore a fascinating place to explore. On the northern side of Staffin Bay, fossil-rich mudrocks preserve the international reference point for the start of the Kimmeridgian. Their changing ammonite assemblages tell a remarkably detailed story across the Oxfordian–Kimmeridgian boundary. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The rugged shore north of Camustianavaig rewards careful observation with Jurassic ammonites and large fossil shells, set beneath the dramatic slopes of Beinn Tianavaig. Fossil-rich blocks, dark shale and younger plant-bearing rocks tell several different chapters of Skye’s geological history. The narrow coastal path and boulder-strewn shore make this a demanding outing for experienced walkers. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The rugged shore between Holm and Prince Charlie’s Cave, north of Portree, exposes a remarkable succession of Jurassic ammonites and large fossil shells. Sandstone blocks, dark shales and iron-rich beds record changing seas along this remote part of Skye. Reaching the exposures involves a long, demanding walk over boulders and around tidal headlands. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Rigg is a rugged locality on the east coast of Skye, north of Bearreraig Bay, where Jurassic marine fossils occur in sandstone ledges and fallen blocks. Ammonites, belemnites and shell-bearing rocks reward careful observation, while younger strata in Rigg Burn add a different chapter to the local geology. The difficult approach, rough shore and tidal restrictions make this a visit for experienced, well-prepared walkers. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Valtos and Dun Dearg expose sandstone cliffs and a boulder-strewn shore with dinosaur footprints, shell-rich beds and large rounded concretions. The Bathonian, Middle Jurassic rocks preserve traces of life around ancient lagoons, making this a rewarding locality for careful observation and photography. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Dunans has a small, boulder-strewn shore where Jurassic marine mudstones yield ammonites, belemnites and bivalves. The beach below Loch Shianta includes the type section of the Dunans Clay Member, with fossil-bearing rock exposed between the stones at low tide. Search naturally weathered, loose material: the fragile shells and scientifically important beds need careful treatment. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Explore Lower Jurassic fossils on the low rocky shores and tidal inlets of the Ardnish Peninsula, east of Broadford. Layers rich in ammonites and devil’s toenails alternate with less fossiliferous rocks, making this a rewarding place to observe an ancient marine succession. Plan around the tides and put responsible observation first on this scientifically important coast. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Hallaig’s remote eastern shore on the Isle of Raasay exposes fossil-rich Lower Jurassic rocks beneath a spectacular landslip. Ammonites, brachiopods and large bivalves record changing seas, while the shore north of the ruined township reveals an important shale-to-sandstone transition. The separate bay towards Rubha na Leac exposes older fossil-bearing limestones. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Waterloo’s low rocky shore, on the eastern side of Broadford Bay, offers a short introduction to Skye’s Early Jurassic marine fossils. Curved oyster shells, other bivalves and occasional ammonites occur in the shore rocks and loose material. The main interest is the Ardnish Formation, exposed in tidal pavements close to the village. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Glasnakille’s Jurassic sandstone coast offers scattered belemnite sections and bivalves among rocky bays and striking cross-bedded cliffs. Finds are usually fragmentary, and the separate beaches require different approaches: this is a locality for patient observation, with tides and difficult access shaping every visit. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Various fossils, such as belemnites and bivalves, can be found along the beautiful and unspoilt coastline to the southeast of Kilmarie. Views from the beach are magnificent. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The foreshore east of the Forth Rail Bridge at South Queensferry exposes Carboniferous fish remains, coprolites and plant fragments, together with a distinct marine shell bed. From Port Neuk to Long Rib, folded sandstone, dark oil shale and pale intrusions reveal a changing landscape of lakes, deltas and brief marine incursions. Carboniferious, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Just north of Larne harbour, Waterloo Bay exposes a remarkable Late Triassic to Early Jurassic succession. The dark mudstones of the Waterloo Mudstone Formation contain ammonites, bivalves and other marine fossils, while the older beds record changing coastal environments before the Jurassic seas. This scientifically important foreshore is an Area of Special Scientific Interest. Jurassic, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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: ♦♦♦
