Visit Spyway Dinosaur Footprints near Langton Matravers to discover sauropod tracks, Early Cretaceous geology and the story of their discovery at the former Keates Quarry site. An outdoor National Trust attraction for viewing fossils in place; no collecting. Cretaceous, Visitor attraction — no fossil collecting
Fort Victoria, on the north-west coast of the Isle of Wight, is a family-friendly fossil location exposing the Headon Hill Formation. The foreshore can yield crocodile, turtle, fish and shell remains, often found loose in the shingle or weathering from soft sediments. With easy access from Fort Victoria Country Park and views across the Solent, it is a rewarding site for careful searching rather than heavy collecting. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Runswick Bay is a highly regarded Yorkshire Coast locality, known for its diverse ammonite fauna and productive foreshore exposures. Under the right conditions, the bay can yield a wide range of ammonite species along with bivalves and other marine fossils, often found loose or within nodules. With its broad beach and regular fresh material from erosion, it can be a very rewarding site for collectors.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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East Mersea preserves ancient river channels and their fossil wildlife beside the tidal shore at Cudmore Grove. Early Eocene London Clay underlies much younger deposits containing shells, wood and mammal remains. The Middle Pleistocene channel at Cudmore Grove is distinct from younger hippopotamus-bearing deposits farther west, and both need careful protection. Pleistocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Wrabness offers early Eocene fossils along the tidal shore of the River Stour. Teeth, fossil wood and small fruits or seeds can occur among weathered beach material, while the cliffs reveal volcanic ash layers in the Harwich Formation beneath the lowest London Clay. Beach cover changes with the tides, and soft mud and unstable cliffs require care. Pliocene, Eocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The designated fossil pit in Lesnes Abbey Woods, southeast London, is famous for its early Eocene shark teeth and shell-rich sediment. Careful sieving can also reveal fish remains and much rarer vertebrate fossils. Follow the site’s limits on digging and material removal, and arrange organised visits with the council before travelling. Eocene, Disused Pit, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Below Easton Wood, south of Covehithe, intermittent exposures of Norwich Crag have yielded shells and important Early Pleistocene mammal remains. The fossil beds may stay hidden beneath beach sand for long periods, but the coast offers a rewarding geological walk when tides and access are favourable. Pliocene, 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 Corton–Hopton coast is a classic place to explore Suffolk’s Ice Age geology. Cliffs of till and meltwater sediment release transported fossils from older rocks, while the separately studied Corton Woods succession records changing rivers and ice margins. Sea defences and beach cover can limit collecting and access. Pleistocene, Erratics (Jurassic, Cretaceous), Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The Pakefield–Kessingland coast preserves an exceptional record of ancient rivers, changing seas and advancing ice. Its Cromer Forest-bed deposits contain important mammal fossils and evidence of early human activity, while loose beach stones can hold much older fossils carried here by glaciers. Pleistocene, Erratics (Jurassic, Cretaceous), 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: ♦
At Covehithe, rapidly eroding cliffs reveal Early Pleistocene marine sands and clays, with cold-water shells in beds that appear as beach cover changes. Older fossils also occur in loose flint pebbles. The ruined church provides a memorable starting point, but safe access follows current public paths rather than the severed coastal road. Erratics (Cretaceous), Pliocene, Cliffs and Foreshore, 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: ♦♦♦♦♦
Weybourne brings together Cretaceous Chalk, shell-rich Early Pleistocene sediments and glacial deposits in a compact but changeable coastal section. Belemnites and sea urchins occur in the chalk, while the overlying Wroxham Crag preserves marine shells and much smaller traces of land mammals washed into an ancient sea. The contrast makes this a rewarding place to study different fossil communities and the long gaps between them. Collecting is best approached as a patient search of loose beach material: the steep shingle shore, tides and unstable cliffs make access demanding, and high ledges must be left alone. Pleistocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
At East Runton, ancient mammal remains occur beside evidence of powerful Ice Age deformation. Shelly Early Pleistocene deposits appear on the foreshore when sand is stripped away, while enormous glacially displaced chalk rafts rise within the cliffs towards Wood Hill. Loose belemnites, echinoids, bone fragments and occasional teeth make careful beach searching worthwhile, although exposure and preservation vary greatly. This is a different fossil assemblage from the famous Freshwater Bed at West Runton. Keep a precise record of where each specimen was found and explore only while the tide leaves a safe route back to East Runton Gap. Pleistocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Mundesley combines a family seaside beach with a significant Pleistocene fossil record. Today, casual collectors are most likely to find echinoids and sponges preserved in flint, reworked onto the shore from much older deposits. The Cromer Forest-bed succession has also yielded important elephant remains and evidence of cold-climate plants, although such beds are not continuously exposed and mammal finds are uncommon. Sea defences, sand cover and changing beach levels strongly influence what can be seen. Search loose foreshore stones at a suitable low tide, enjoy the geology from a safe distance and leave protected exposures undisturbed. Pleistocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
