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
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: ♦♦♦♦
Chilcompton’s old New Rock colliery spoil contains shale and sandstone brought up from deep Carboniferous workings. Plant stems and fern-like impressions can be seen in suitable loose shale, but the steep, overgrown public-path route is primarily a place for careful observation unless the landowner has agreed to collecting. Carboniferous, Spoil, Rating: ♦♦♦
The tidal foreshore at Harwich exposes the Harwich Stone Band, a hard, ash-bearing horizon formed in an early Eocene sea. Loose beach material can yield shark and fish teeth, fossil wood and seeds. The most useful patches change as waves move the shingle and sand, so careful searching matters more than covering a large area. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Aldwick and Bognor Rocks expose early Eocene London Clay when beach conditions permit. Shells, plant remains and fish-bearing nodules and pyritic debris make this an important fossil coast, also known for rare insects. The wider scientific section extends towards Pagham, with different reefs exposed in different places. Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
Maer Cliff, south of Northcott Mouth, exposes steeply tilted Carboniferous sandstone and shale. Careful searching may reveal plant fragments, fish remains and traces of animal activity, while concretion-bearing black shales and contrasting sedimentary structures make this an instructive geological shore. The rocky route is tide-dependent and requires more care than the main beach. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
A small wooded quarry near Holymoorside preserves plant fragments in Carboniferous sandstone. The rock belongs to the Wingfield Flags, a named sandstone unit within the Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation. Stem debris is more characteristic than complete leaves. Follow the public path, keep clear of the unstable face and obtain the landowner’s permission before entering the quarry or collecting. Carboniferous, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦
Stone Edge Plantation preserves traces of former coal and clay workings, with plant-bearing Coal Measures shale reported from loose mine spoil. Fossils were uncommon and often poorly preserved in the original visit. Because old mine workings can be dangerous, remain on the public path, avoid shafts and disturbed ground, and obtain permission before any off-path visit or collecting. Carboniferous, Spoil, Rating: ♦♦
Reclaimed colliery spoil in Bargoed Woodland Park preserves fragments of the Carboniferous vegetation once buried beneath the valley. Ribbed stems, patterned bark and leaf impressions provide a record of ancient coal-swamp plants within a landscape reshaped by mining and restoration. Carboniferous, Spoil Heap, Rating: ♦♦♦
Unlike East Wemyss, where the cliffs are cut from a disused spoil heap, at West Wemyss, the cliffs contain in situ Carboniferous beds. There are very few locations in the UK where there are coastal sections of the actual coal measures. You can see very distinctive coal seams, and layers of harder rock and shale. The shale, both in the cliff and on the foreshore, is highly fossiliferous with plant remains.
Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
The eroding mixed spoil shore west of East Wemyss reveals Carboniferous plant remains in loose shale and other tipped rock. Fern-like foliage, ribbed stems and occasional bivalves survive from ancient wetland landscapes, but mining, dumping and coastal reworking have mixed their original beds. Visit to observe and photograph; fossil removal requires permission and any applicable consent. Carboniferous, Spoil, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Giant arthropod trackways and fossil trees preserved where they grew make the Carboniferous shore southwest of Crail harbour a remarkable place to explore. The sandstone ledges record ancient land surfaces, while intervening marine beds reveal repeated incursions of the sea. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The shore west of Anstruther harbour exposes Carboniferous plant fossils, shell-bearing rocks and the tilted beds of the Anstruther Formation. Between Anstruther Wester, West Haven and Billow Ness, roots, stems and thin coals record an ancient lowland landscape interrupted by occasional marine incursions. This protected shore is best explored by looking closely and photographing finds; check the permissions below before removing anything. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The rocky shore from East Sands to Maiden Rock reveals Carboniferous plant remains, ripple-marked sandstone and sharply folded beds. Look for fossil roots and plant fragments among the weathered surfaces, with less conspicuous shell-bearing mudstones recording occasional marine incursions. This protected, tidal shore rewards careful observation and photography. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Bellyford Burn’s old coal-mine spoil heaps preserve Carboniferous plant fossils beside the Pencaitland Railway Walk, west of Ormiston. Shale fragments contain stems, including reported Calamites, and less frequent leaf impressions. The Limestone Coal Formation records the sediment and vegetation of an ancient delta landscape, now brought to the surface in discarded mine rock. Carboniferous, Spoil heaps, Rating: ♦♦♦
