Whitehaven’s northern coast preserves Carboniferous plant fossils beneath the Countess Pit Sandstone. Access update, October 2026: foreshore access has been reported closed. The precise extent of the restriction and any reopening remain unconfirmed. Do not rely on the former tunnel-access directions or enter closed areas; confirm current authorised access with Cumberland Council before planning a collecting visit. Carboniferous, Foreshore, 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: ♦♦
Clints Quarry is a Carboniferous limestone nature reserve near Egremont, where corals and crinoid fragments can be seen in weathered rock. Its fossil-rich beds and ancient solution hollows record changing conditions on a shallow tropical shelf. Visit to observe and photograph the geology, leaving fossils and the protected quarry undisturbed. Carboniferous, 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: ♦♦♦
