Penarth’s north shore reveals red and green Triassic cliffs, pale gypsum and fossil-bearing beach stones. This guide follows the shore north from the pier towards Penarth Head, where loose shell fossils reward careful observation, but tides, unstable cliffs and uncertain collecting permissions demand care. Jurassic, Triassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
At Lavernock Point, the coast records a remarkable transition from late Triassic mudflats to an Early Jurassic sea. Shells, ammonites and vertebrate remains occur in different parts of the succession, and the discovery of Dracoraptor hanigani made the locality internationally known. Careful observation reveals both the fossils and the changing environments that preserved them. Jurassic, Triassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
At Llantwit Major’s Cwm Colhuw beach, pale limestone ledges and darker mudstones reveal a fossil-rich Early Jurassic sea. Ammonites and bivalves are the main attractions, often preserved as impressions or shells within the foreshore rocks. The striking cliffs and jointed platforms also make this a rewarding place to see how sedimentary rocks weather and break apart. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
Southerndown’s Dunraven Bay brings together a sandy beach, striking Early Jurassic limestone cliffs and fossil-rich shore platforms. Look closely at the Blue Lias and you can see curved oysters, other bivalves, ammonites and traces of life on an ancient seabed. The changing rocks also reveal how a Jurassic sea spread across an older limestone landscape. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The old northern quarry at Trefil opens a window into a Carboniferous tropical sea. Weathered limestone preserves corals and shells, while the surviving tracks and quarry faces tell the story of limestone working for the South Wales iron industry. Carboniferous, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦
Remnants of South Wales’s industrial past abound in the area, particularly in the form of colliery spoil heaps (coal tips) like this one. Although landscaped, there are plenty of areas of bare spoil to look through.Carboniferous, Spoil Heap, Rating: ♦♦♦
The shingle shore at Gileston, near Limpert Bay, offers a quieter way to look for traces of Jurassic life. Some loose rocks contain shells and ammonite impressions, while small crinoid fragments have also been reported. The interest lies in careful observation of weathered beach stones and in understanding how much older fossils became part of a modern shoreline. Jurassic, Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦
Abereiddy Bay is a classic place to see Ordovician graptolites in dark shale. The southern foreshore is especially known for the paired branches of the tuning-fork graptolite, while folded sediments and volcanic rocks around the bay tell a much more varied geological story. Ordovician, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Nolton Haven’s Carboniferous sandstones and shales preserve plant remains from ancient river and coal-swamp landscapes. The main bay and the coast towards Rickets Head offer different views of this history, including large rooting structures best enjoyed and photographed where they lie. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The bay at Freshwater East is a great location for the whole family. The sandy beach is ideal for children and, as it is so large, it is unlikely to become crowded even in the height of summer. Fossils are fairly abundant and are easy to find. Carboniferous, Devonian, Silurian, Ordovician, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
The strata exposed at Presipe are a delight to behold and the various coves are very beautiful, if nearly impossible to reach except at low tide. Trace fossils are also present in certain layers. Devonian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Above Porthgain’s harbour, loose slate waste records the village’s quarrying past. Fossils are uncommon, but occasional graptolites reward a careful look at natural surfaces, while the cliffs and surviving stone hoppers reveal a much wider geological and industrial story. Ordovician, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
The northern rocks at Whitesands Bay expose steeply inclined Cambrian beds beside a broad sandy beach. Fossils are sparse, but careful observation of loose rock surfaces may reveal dark impressions of small brachiopod shells, giving a glimpse of the ancient sea in which these sediments formed. Cambrian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦
West Angle Bay is eroded out of Carboniferous Limestone, which is packed with crinoids. It is an excellent location to take children to – there is a nice sandy beach, a cafe and public conveniences. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Marloes Sands is a stunningly beautiful location managed by the National Trust. The scenery is fantastic, the geology is breath-taking and there are many fossils to find, including corals, brachiopods, trilobites and much more. Silurian, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
Upper Gilwern Quarry, near Howey in Powys, is known for its well-preserved Ordovician trilobites, from tiny growth stages to occasional complete specimens. Its fine-grained rocks record an ancient marine environment. This privately owned quarry is available to booked accommodation guests under the operator’s current access and collecting conditions. Ordovician, Private Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
A small stream cutting near Bettws exposes Ordovician mudstone with occasional trilobite fragments and graptolites. Its dark, fissile rocks offer a close view of marine life preserved in a much older succession than many of the surrounding Silurian hills. Ordovician, Stream cutting, Rating: ♦♦
Cwm Craig Ddu’s roadside siltstones preserve small marine shells and rare fragments of early land plants. This Silurian quarry near Garth is important for understanding plants that grew on land while their remains were carried into a neighbouring sea. Silurian, Roadside Cutting, Rating: ♦♦♦
The coast below Caim reveals fossil-rich Carboniferous limestone, with weathered colonial corals, horn corals and large brachiopods. The ledges and headlands show how marine shells and corals were preserved within a changing shallow-water environment. Carboniferous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
The wooded slopes of Gallt Yr Ancr, west of Meifod, contain shell-rich Ordovician sandstone associated with old quarries. Brachiopod moulds and occasional trilobite fragments reveal a marine fauna in the rocks beside the Glyndwr’s Way walking route. Ordovician, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦
Prestatyn Hillside combines an escarpment walk with glimpses of Carboniferous marine fossils. Occasional limestone blocks reveal crinoids, brachiopods and corals, while the surrounding rocks record sediment carried from a carbonate platform into deeper water. Carboniferous, Outcrops, Rating: ♦♦
Great Orme’s Head is a limestone headland above Llandudno, with sweeping views and a remarkable record of life in a Carboniferous sea. At Bishop’s Quarry, large fossil shells and corals can be studied on weathered rock surfaces during a walk across the headland. Carboniferous, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦♦
