Last reviewed: 27 October 2026
Using our guides
UK Fossils is operated by UKGE LTD. Our website and app guides, maps, photographs and videos provide general information. We aim to keep them accurate, but cannot guarantee that they are complete, current or free from errors. Access, site conditions and collecting rules can change after publication or your last download.
A guide describes a locality; it does not arrange your visit, confirm that it is safe, or authorise access or collecting. Independently planned visits remain your responsibility.
Access is not permission to collect
Do not assume that a place is open to you because it appears in a guide, has a map pin, is unfenced, has no warning sign or has been visited by other collectors. A public footpath, coastal route or right of access does not by itself give permission to leave the permitted route, enter restricted land, dig, hammer rock or remove fossils.
Check the current access arrangements and collecting policy with the relevant landowner, occupier or site manager, and obtain any permission needed for your intended activity. Permission to walk, collect loose material and excavate are different things. Loose fossils, fallen rocks and foreshore material are not automatically ownerless or free to take.
Laws, protected sites and local restrictions
Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and between individual sites. Follow applicable law, lawful closures, byelaws, permit conditions and landowner restrictions. Do not assume that advice for one beach or country applies elsewhere.
Protected geological, wildlife and heritage sites can have additional restrictions or require consent from the relevant authority as well as landowner permission. Protection does not mean every site has the same collecting rules: permitted loose collecting and the extraction of material from bedrock may be treated differently. Check the specific site and proposed activity before collecting.
Respect limits on tools, quantities, commercial collecting and organised groups. Do not enter working quarries, construction sites, railway land or other controlled areas without the appropriate authority. If permission or a restriction is unclear, ask the site manager or relevant authority before proceeding.
Planning a safe visit
Map pins indicate approximate guide areas, not verified access points, parking places or safe walking routes. Check current directions, rights of way, tides, weather and local safety advice. Do not rely on a map, rating, photograph or past visit as evidence that a route is safe today.
Assess conditions when you arrive and throughout your visit. Keep clear of cliff edges, cliff bases, fresh falls, unstable ground and hazardous mud; avoid being cut off by tides. Do not collect in unsafe conditions. Look after your own safety and those in your care, and consider suitable personal insurance.
Collect responsibly
Read the UK Fossils Fossil Code and each guide’s access and safety sections before visiting. Follow the applicable local collecting code. Our code is guidance and does not override legislation, permissions or site restrictions.
Avoid damage to habitats, protected features and scientifically important material. Record the provenance of finds and seek specialist advice about unusual or potentially significant specimens before attempting extraction.
Responsibility and your rights
To the extent permitted by law, UKGE LTD (UK Fossils) does not accept liability for loss or damage arising from errors, omissions or reliance on information in our website or app. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. Your statutory rights are not affected.
Shop, events and community services
Shop purchases are subject to the shop’s purchase, delivery and returns terms. These guide terms do not replace those terms or your statutory consumer rights. Separately booked events and tours are subject to the organiser’s arrangements and terms. Discuss Fossils and other linked services have their own account rules and privacy information.
Read our Fossil Code or contact UK Fossils to report outdated guide information. For current official guidance, see GOV.UK access guidance, the Countryside Code and the Scottish Fossil Code.
