Lilstock is a productive coastal site where reptile remains and loose bones can often be found along the foreshore, alongside Jurassic ammonites, bivalves and fish remains. At the eastern end of the bay, the Triassic Lilstock Formation yields blocks rich in fish, shark and reptile material, as well as microfossils from the sandstones, offering a varied collecting experience across two geological periods. Triassic, Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Colwell Bay, on the north-west coast of the Isle of Wight, is a rapidly changing and increasingly important fossil collecting location. Although less well known than nearby Totland Bay, it exposes part of the Headon Hill Formation, with soft clays and marls constantly being eroded. This ongoing erosion has made the site more productive in recent years, although access can be affected by slumping and coastal retreat. The area is also notable for its visible coastal erosion, with sections of the nearby holiday park now precariously close to the cliff edge.Eocene, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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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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Hunstanton’s striped Cretaceous cliffs offer a clear introduction to Norfolk’s marine fossils. Brown Carstone, the thin Red Chalk and pale Ferriby Chalk form contrasting layers, with belemnites, brachiopods, bivalves and occasional ammonites preserved in their rocks. Weathered material on the beach gives collectors a chance to examine fossils without approaching the cliff face, while the harder beds reward patient observation rather than force. The sequence also records missing intervals of geological time, so its colours tell only part of the story. Plan your visit around low tide and keep well clear of unstable cliffs and recent falls. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Widemouth Bay combines folded Carboniferous rocks with much younger shell-bearing sands. The Black Rock foreshore reveals a detailed sandstone-and-shale succession, while the land-snail record belongs to separate coastal deposits. Fossil opportunities are scattered and should not be confused with those at neighbouring Wanson Mouth. Carboniferous, 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: ♦♦♦
At the northern end of Gosford Bay, Craigielaw Point reveals fossil-rich rocks from the Carboniferous seas of East Lothian. Branching corals, crinoid stems, brachiopods and bryozoans appear in the weathered limestone, while low rocky ledges and tidal pools make this a rewarding place to explore the changing environments of an ancient coast. Carboniferous, Foreshore Outcrops, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The burns around Dalmellington expose Carboniferous coal-bearing rocks, with fossil mussels recorded in several shale beds and plant fragments noted in the original field guide. Cummock Burn, Black Burn and the Craigmark gorges reveal different parts of this succession. Low water can expose more rock, but these historical collecting places require careful route planning and permission to collect. Carboniferous, Stream Cutting, Rating: ♦♦
