At West Wemyss, Carboniferous coal seams and plant-bearing shale can be seen along the shore east of the harbour. The Scottish Middle Coal Measures Formation records rivers, lakes and wetland forests, while redistributed mining spoil adds a different source of loose rock. Visit for geological observation and photography; collecting is not recommended while a reported refusal of permission remains unresolved.
Carboniferous, 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 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: ♦♦♦
