The striking red and white cliffs at Aust, on the Severn Estuary, expose the Rhaetian Penarth Group, home to one of the most famous bone beds in the UK. This thin but highly productive layer is packed with teeth, fish remains and reptile material, making Aust the richest Triassic fossil site in Britain. Under the right conditions, the foreshore can yield a wide variety of microfossils, rewarding careful searching and sieving. Triassic, Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Hock Cliff near Fretherne exposes an early Sinemurian succession of limestone, shale and mudstone beside the Severn. Ammonites, curved oysters and echinoderm remains record a varied Jurassic sea floor, while the tidal shore, slippery rocks and changing path conditions require careful planning and permission checks. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Tites Point, on the eastern shore of the Severn near Purton, exposes folded Silurian rocks with shelly fossils and several concentrations of early fish remains. Mud cover can hide most of the section, and a reported access restriction means the route and permission must be checked before planning a visit. Silurian, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
