Thorncombe Beacon Fossil Hunting

Thorncombe Beacon is a highly productive Jurassic location, yielding a wide range of fossils including ammonites, bivalves, brachiopods, belemnites, crinoids and occasional starfish specimens. The foreshore is scattered with fallen blocks from the cliffs above, many of which contain well-preserved fossils. However, the rock here is extremely hard, meaning extraction can be challenging and often requires patience and effort, particularly when working freshly fallen material after storms.

FIND FREQUENCY: ♦♦♦♦ – Fossils are frequently found, however they are less likely to be found loose. This is a specialist location in which you ideally need heavy lump hammers and heavy duty chisels to split blocks.
CHILDREN: ♦ – The foreshore at Thorncombe Beacon is very rocky. This site is only suitable for families with older children, as some of the boulders are extremely hard and large. Although you can find fossils on the foreshore, most have to be split from the rock using a geological hammer.
ACCESS: ♦♦♦ – There is a car park practically on the beach, with toilets and a pub next to it. However it can be a difficult walk when the beach between Seatown and Thorncombe Beacon Cliff is built up with pebbles, and then a field of large boulders awaits you round the corner.
TYPE: This is a foreshore and cliff location, so fossils can be found in both. Fossils are found in rocks on the foreshore,

DIRECTIONS

♦ Thorncombe Beacon is best reached via Seatown. Follow the narrow lane, just opposite the Castle Inn in Childeock. This road is not suitable for large vehicles, because of its width. There is a small car park, run by the Anchor Inn, at Seatown, which is highly recommended, as parking elsewhere is very limited.
♦ Parking along the roadside at the bottom is possible between the 1st October and the 24th May. The double yellow line parking restrictions only apply in peak season.
♦ Thorncombe Beacon is on your left (east) from the car park at Seatown.
♦ There is a charge for parking at Seatown.
♦ Postcode to parking: DT6 6JU. Google maps link.
♦ Fossil Location: What3Words: ///perused.silver.bless

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FOSSIL HUNTING

Thorncombe Beacon is a well-known fossil collecting site on the Dorset coast, but it is important to note that it lies within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and forms part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Collectors must therefore follow the Fossil Code of Conduct at all times. Hammering directly on the cliff or bedrock is not permitted, and digging into the cliff or foreshore is strictly forbidden. The land is privately owned and damage has previously been caused by people using power tools and other inappropriate methods. Such activity is illegal and may result in prosecution. Fossil collecting should therefore be limited to loose material that has naturally fallen onto the foreshore.

Most fossils at Thorncombe Beacon come from loose blocks of the Junction Bed, a distinctive series of yellow, iron-rich limestones that weather out onto the beach from the cliffs above. These rocks often occur as layered blocks scattered across the foreshore and can contain large numbers of fossils. Many specimens can be found simply by searching the surface of these rocks, as weathering frequently reveals ammonites and shells. Carefully splitting loose blocks can sometimes reveal beautifully preserved fossils within the rock.

Ammonites are particularly abundant in the Junction Bed and include a wide variety of species typical of the Middle Jurassic. Common forms include Amaltheus margaritatus and Lytoceras fimbriatum, but collectors may also encounter species such as Pleuroceras spinatum, Amaltheus stokesi, Amaltheus subnodosus, Harpoceras serpentinum, Harpoceras falciferum, Dactylioceras commune, Dactylioceras tenuicostatum, Hildoceras bifrons, Eleganticeras elegantulum, Tiltoniceras antiquum, Tiltoniceras scissum, Coeloceras crassum and Paltarpites. Many of these ammonites occur as flattened impressions within the limestone, while others may be preserved three-dimensionally within nodules.

Other fossils are also common within the Junction Bed. Belemnites are frequently encountered, particularly species such as Passaloteuthis and Acrocoelites. Crinoid fragments are abundant and occasionally more complete stems can be found preserved within the limestone. Brachiopods such as Terebratula and Rhynchonella are also present, along with numerous bivalves including Gryphaea, Pecten and Trigonia. Gastropods are less common but may occasionally be discovered within the rock. Trace fossils produced by burrowing organisms can also be seen on bedding surfaces.

One of the most interesting fossils found at Thorncombe Beacon is the brittlestar Palaeocoma egertoni. These delicate fossils are often discovered simply lying within weathered rocks on the foreshore rather than inside freshly split blocks. They originate from the Eype Starfish Bed, a distinctive bedding plane that occurs within the Thorncombe Sands Member and the Downcliff Sands Member. These beds occasionally weather out onto the beach, revealing beautifully preserved brittlestars preserved flat on the bedding surfaces. Because they are extremely fragile, specimens should be handled with great care if encountered.

It is also worth keeping an eye on the foreshore for occasional slips of Upper Greensand, which may sometimes become exposed after storms or periods of cliff collapse. In its freshly exposed state this rock can be relatively soft, becoming harder as it dries and oxidises in the air. Fossil shells can sometimes be found within these deposits and, when the rock is still soft, they can be extracted quite easily. As with all collecting along this stretch of coast, however, only loose material should be collected and the cliffs themselves should never be disturbed.

Some of the most significant fossil and scientific milestones from Thorncombe Beacon include the classic fossil-rich Jurassic succession, the beds that gave their name to the Thorncombe Sand Member, the later recognition of important erosional surfaces and condensed ammonite horizons, and the continued reputation of the coast below the beacon for ammonites and other Jurassic fossils.

1863 – John Day used the term Green Ammonite Beds for the fossil-rich Middle Lias succession of this coast
Day’s work on the west Dorset coast helped establish the Green Ammonite Beds as one of the classic fossil-bearing parts of the Jurassic succession. Although the term is more often associated with Seatown and Golden Cap, the same broader fossil-rich sequence continues through the Thorncombe Beacon coast.

Mid 20th century – Thorncombe Beacon became established as part of the classic west Dorset Lower Jurassic section
By the mid twentieth century, the coast around Thorncombe Beacon was already recognised as part of the important west Dorset Jurassic succession, with ammonite-rich beds, sandy members and condensed limestone horizons forming a key part of the regional stratigraphy.

1957 – Howarth documented major local omission and erosion surfaces in the Thorncombe Beacon succession
Howarth showed that important beds, including the Thorncombiensis Bed and overlying clays, are locally absent at West Cliff because of erosion and condensation. This was an important scientific milestone because it clarified how incomplete and complex the succession can be beneath the Beacon Limestone Formation in this area.

Late 20th century – the Thorncombe Sand Member became formalised in the modern Jurassic framework
Modern lithostratigraphic revision formalised the Thorncombe Sand Member as part of the Charmouth Mudstone Formation. This gave Thorncombe Beacon a direct place in the modern naming of the Lower Jurassic succession of west Dorset.

1999 – the modern Dorset Jurassic framework formalised the Beacon Limestone Formation above the Thorncombe Sand Member
Revision of the Dorset coast succession replaced the old broad “Junction Bed” terminology with the Beacon Limestone Formation. At Thorncombe Beacon this clarified the relationship between the erosion surface at the top of the Thorncombe Sand Member and the condensed fossil-rich limestones above.

2000s – Thorncombe Beacon continued to be used as a reference area for Lower Jurassic stratigraphy
Modern synthesis work on British Lower Jurassic stratigraphy continued to use the Thorncombe Beacon coast as an important example of the west Dorset succession, especially for the relationship between sandy members, condensed limestones and fossil-rich ammonite horizons.

Modern collecting – the coast below Thorncombe Beacon remains known for ammonites and other Jurassic fossils
Field guides and collecting notes still describe the foreshore below Thorncombe Beacon as a well-known fossil site, especially for ammonites, with other Jurassic fossils also occurring in fallen blocks and foreshore material. Its importance today lies more in its rich succession and steady fossil yield than in a long list of named individual discoveries.

GEOLOGY

Thorncombe Beacon forms one of the highest cliffs on the Dorset coast, rising to around 157 metres above sea level. The cliff exposes a complex succession of Lower Jurassic rocks overlain by much younger Cretaceous deposits, providing an excellent example of the geological history of the Jurassic Coast. From the top of the cliff downward, the sequence records a transition from the Early Cretaceous back into the Lower Jurassic marine sediments that form much of this coastline.

At the top of the cliff lie the Upper Greensand Formation and the Gault Formation, both deposited during the Early Cretaceous. The Gault consists mainly of dark marine clays that accumulated in relatively deep water conditions. Above this sits the Upper Greensand, a glauconitic sandstone that formed in a shallow marine environment as sea levels fluctuated during the Cretaceous. These Cretaceous rocks cap the cliff and form the upper slopes of Thorncombe Beacon.

Beneath the Cretaceous deposits are the Lower Jurassic rocks of the Bridport Sand Formation, which make up a large part of the cliff face. These rocks consist mainly of yellow-brown sands and sandstones that were deposited in shallow marine environments during the Early Jurassic. The sands weather easily and are prone to slumping, which is why large quantities of material regularly fall from the cliff and accumulate on the foreshore below.

Within the Bridport Sand Formation are several distinct members that can be recognised along the cliff. The Downcliff Clay Member forms a darker, more clay-rich interval within the sequence and represents a brief change in sedimentation conditions when finer material was deposited in quieter marine waters. Immediately beneath this lies the Beacon Limestone, historically known as the Junction Bed, which forms a distinctive fossil-rich limestone horizon. This bed marks a boundary between different depositional phases within the Lower Jurassic sequence and is the source of many of the ammonites found along the beach.

Below the Beacon Limestone lies the Thorncombe Sands Member, consisting mainly of fine-grained sands and sandstones. These sediments were deposited in shallow marine conditions and form an important part of the cliff section. At the base of this member is the distinctive Eype Starfish Bed, a thin but well-known bedding plane famous for its fossil brittlestars. This horizon occurs at the boundary between the Thorncombe Sands Member and the underlying Downcliff Sands Member.

The Downcliff Sands Member consists of micaceous siltstones and sandy sediments that were deposited in relatively calm marine conditions. Fallen blocks from this bed sometimes appear on the foreshore, and it is within these slabs that the brittlestar Palaeocoma egertoni can occasionally be found preserved on bedding surfaces. These fossils are extremely delicate and difficult to extract intact, which is why complete specimens are rarely recovered.

At the base of the exposed sequence lies the Eype Clay Member, a darker clay unit belonging to the Lower Jurassic. These marine mudstones represent quieter offshore deposition and form the lowest visible beds along this section of the coast. The Eype Clay occasionally contains nodules belonging to the Eype Nodule Bed, although these are often obscured by slumped material from higher in the cliff.

This is a detailed stratigraphic breakdown of the Jurassic and Cretaceous succession at Thorncombe Beacon, Dorset. The locality exposes the upper part of the Dyrham Formation, the Beacon Limestone Formation, parts of the Bridport Sand Formation, and the Lower Cretaceous cap, making it one of the most important composite cliff sections between Seatown and Eype Mouth.

LIAS GROUP

Dyrham Formation (Lower Jurassic — Pliensbachian)

The Dyrham Formation beneath Thorncombe Beacon is made up of the Eype Clay Member, Down Cliff Sand Member and Thorncombe Sand Member. Together these record a major shallowing-upward trend from silty shelf mudstones into storm-worked silty sands and sandstones, and they form the main Jurassic cliff profile beneath the higher Toarcian and Cretaceous cover.

Eype Clay Member

Bed TB1 — Three Tiers Sandstone (c. 7 m)

A distinctive basal sandstone package at the base of the Eype Clay Member, made up of three units of very fine-grained sandstone, each about 0.5–1 m thick, separated by sandy shale. This is one of the clearest marker packages in the whole Thorncombe Beacon succession and shows the sharp change from the mudstones of the underlying Green Ammonite Member into the more silty and sandy facies of the Dyrham Formation.

Bed TB2 — Lower Eype Clay

Pale grey, micaceous, variably silty mudstone with abundant small siderite nodules. This lower part of the member forms a soft, recessive cliff and is often obscured by slipped material from higher, more resistant beds. Fossils are common and include ammonites, crinoids, brachiopods and a wide benthic marine fauna, indicating quiet shallow-shelf deposition with a persistent input of fine muddy sediment.

Bed TB3 — Eype Nodule Bed

A conspicuous band of spherical calcareous or sideritic nodules approximately midway up the Eype Clay cliff. This is one of the best visual marker horizons beneath Thorncombe Beacon and is widely used to fix position within the member. The nodules weather out of the softer clay and may preserve fossils better than the surrounding mudstones.

Bed TB4 — Upper Eype Clay And Day’s Shell Bed

The upper part of the Eype Clay Member continues as pale grey silty mudstone and sandy mudstone with many small nodules, but becomes subtly sandier upward. Near the top lies Day’s Shell Bed, a fossil-rich shelly horizon about 0.9 m below the Starfish Bed, representing a brief concentration of shell material immediately before the main sand influx that begins the Down Cliff Sand Member.

Total Thickness Of Eype Clay Member At Thorncombe Beacon: Approximately 60 Metres

Down Cliff Sand Member

Bed TB5 — Eype Starfish Bed

A famous fine-grained sandstone at the base of the Down Cliff Sand Member, long known for yielding brittle stars and starfish from fallen slabs. It marks the sharp base of the member and records a sudden change from mud-dominated deposition into sandy shelf sedimentation. This is one of the classic fossil horizons of the Thorncombe Beacon–Eype area.

Typical Fossils

Brittle stars such as Palaeocoma, crinoid remains including Balanocrinus, and associated marine shelly fossils.

Bed TB6 — Lower Down Cliff Sands

Grey-brown, muddy, very fine-grained sands and sandy mudstones, closely interbedded and more resistant than the Eype Clay below. These beds form ledges and steeper cliff sections and record a low- to moderate-energy shallow-marine setting with a greater and more persistent influx of fine sand and silt.

Bed TB7 — Upper Down Cliff Sands And Margaritatus Stone

The upper part of the Down Cliff Sand Member becomes increasingly sandy upward and culminates in the Margaritatus Stone at the top of the member. This fossiliferous bluish sandy limestone forms the formal upper boundary marker and is one of the most important datums beneath Thorncombe Beacon. It marks the transition into the even sandier Thorncombe Sand Member above.

Total Thickness Of Down Cliff Sand Member At Thorncombe Beacon: Up To 27–30 Metres

Thorncombe Sand Member

Bed TB8 — Blue Band (Basal Thorncombe Sand, c. 1.8 m)

A blue-grey mudstone directly above the Margaritatus Stone, marking the formal base of the Thorncombe Sand Member. It provides a useful transitional horizon between the sandier Down Cliff beds below and the yellow-weathering sands that dominate the main body of the member.

Bed TB9 — Lower Thorncombe Sands

Yellow-weathering silty, very fine-grained sands and sandy silts, locally bioturbated and with hummocky cross-bedding. These beds form resistant ledges and steep sandy cliff faces and represent a shallower, more energetic marine shelf than the units below, with stronger storm reworking and widespread benthic burrowing.

Bed TB10 — Impersistent Mid-Member Limestone

A local limestone band about 0.3 m thick where present, developed within the Thorncombe Sand Member. Although not everywhere visible, it is a useful internal horizon and suggests a short interval of reduced sand influx and local carbonate cementation or accumulation.

Bed TB11 — Upper Thorncombe Sands And Top Grey Mudstone

The uppermost Thorncombe Sand continues as yellow-weathering very fine sands and silty sands, passing up into a top interval of grey mudstone beneath the Beacon Limestone Formation. The highest 2.3 m of grey mudstone below the Beacon Limestone is a formal part of the member and marks the final muddy pulse before the condensed limestone phase above.

Total Thickness Of Thorncombe Sand Member At Thorncombe Beacon: Approximately 23 Metres

Beacon Limestone Formation (Upper Pliensbachian To Toarcian)

The Beacon Limestone Formation is the classic ‘Junction Bed’ interval of the Thorncombe Beacon area and the formation’s type section is in the cliff beneath the headland. It is highly condensed, ferruginous below and more nodular above, and represents a major break from the sand-dominated Dyrham Formation below to the sand–mud cycles of the Bridport Sand Formation above.

Marlstone Member

Bed TB12 — Lower Ferruginous Beacon Limestone

The lower part of the Beacon Limestone Formation is ferruginous and ooidal, commonly weathering reddish-brown, pinkish-brown or dark brown. Locally it may be conglomeratic. These beds represent a highly condensed marine limestone interval developed during a reduction in siliciclastic input and a phase of very slow sedimentation or non-sequence.

Eype Mouth Limestone Member

Bed TB13 — Upper Nodular Beacon Limestone / Junction Bed

The upper part of the Beacon Limestone Formation is nodular and fossil-rich, traditionally called the Junction Bed. It is one of the most important ammonite-bearing limestone intervals in west Dorset and occurs as hard fossiliferous blocks and in place beneath Thorncombe Beacon. The condensed nature of the bed means that faunas may be mixed, and the limestone often preserves ammonites, belemnites and bivalves in excellent relief.

Total Thickness Of Beacon Limestone Formation At Thorncombe Beacon: Typically Less Than 1.5 Metres, Though Locally Up To About 5 Metres

Bridport Sand Formation (Lower Jurassic — Toarcian)

The Bridport Sand Formation overlies the Beacon Limestone Formation and forms a large part of the upper Jurassic cliff beneath the Cretaceous cap. At Thorncombe Beacon the basal part is the Down Cliff Clay Member, overlain by sands and sandstones of the undivided Bridport Sand Formation. Together these beds form unstable but resistant upper cliffs and large landslip systems.

Down Cliff Clay Member

Bed TB14 — Lower Down Cliff Clay

Grey, calcareous, bioturbated silicate mudstones, locally very finely sandy and micaceous, resting sharply on the fossiliferous fine limestones of the Beacon Limestone Formation. This is the basal clay-rich Toarcian unit at Thorncombe Beacon and records renewed muddy shelf deposition after the condensed Beacon Limestone interval. Fossils include ammonites, and the beds commonly become more sandy upward.

Bed TB15 — Upper Down Cliff Clay With Sandstone And Sandy Limestone Beds

The upper part of the Down Cliff Clay Member contains beds up to 0.5 m thick of pale grey calcareous very fine-grained silicate sandstone or finely sandy limestone. These harder beds create local ledges and show that the succession was already becoming more sand-rich before the main Bridport sands accumulated above.

Total Thickness Of Down Cliff Clay Member At Thorncombe Beacon: Approximately 10–21 Metres

Main Bridport Sand Formation

Bed TB16 — Bridport Sands And Sandstones

Very fine-grained to fine-grained sands, silts and sandstones, generally grey when fresh but weathering yellow-brown in the cliffs. These beds are commonly micaceous and locally contain calcite-cemented harder bands. At Thorncombe Beacon they form the high sandy cliff mass above the Down Cliff Clay Member and below the Cretaceous cap, and they are responsible for large-scale rotational slips and slumps where undercut by the sea.

Cliff Character

The Bridport Sand Formation forms tall steep slopes and broken cliffs with large fallen blocks and active landslip systems. Fossils are less concentrated than in the Beacon Limestone below, but ammonites and other marine fossils occur in harder calcareous bands and nodules.

Total Thickness Of Bridport Sand Formation Visible In The Thorncombe Beacon Cliff Complex: Variable, But Forming A Major Part Of The Upper Jurassic Cliff Face

Lower Cretaceous Cover

Gault Formation

Bed TB17 — Gault Clay

Pale to dark grey or blue-grey clay or mudstone, glauconitic in part, with a sandy base and local phosphatic nodules. At Thorncombe Beacon this unit rests unconformably on the Jurassic succession and forms part of the Lower Cretaceous cap. It marks a major time break above the Lower Jurassic and contributes to the instability of the high cliff profile.

Upper Greensand Formation

Bed TB18 — Upper Greensand Cap

Glauconitic sands and sandstones forming the resistant cap of Thorncombe Beacon. This unit gives the headland much of its height and topographic prominence and protects the softer Jurassic beds beneath from rapid complete removal, while at the same time supplying large blocks and debris to active landslips on the slope below.

Depositional Environment

The Thorncombe Beacon succession records a progressive change from quiet muddy marine shelf conditions in the Eype Clay, through increasingly sandy and storm-influenced shelf deposition in the Down Cliff Sand and Thorncombe Sand members, into a condensed ferruginous and nodular limestone interval of the Beacon Limestone Formation, then back into muddier and sandier Toarcian marine shelf facies of the Bridport Sand Formation. The entire Jurassic sequence is finally truncated by a major Lower Cretaceous unconformity and capped by Gault and Upper Greensand, which control the modern steep cliff and headland profile.

Total Thickness Covered Here: Approximately 130–170 Metres Of Jurassic And Cretaceous Stratigraphy Across The Thorncombe Beacon Cliff Section

References

Howarth, M.K. (1957). The Middle Lias of the Dorset coast.
Hesselbo, S.P. & Jenkyns, H.C. (1995). A comparison of the Hettangian to Bajocian successions of Dorset and Yorkshire.
British Geological Survey Lexicon: Eype Clay Member, Down Cliff Sand Member, Thorncombe Sand Member, Beacon Limestone Formation, Down Cliff Clay Member and Gault Formation.
British Geological Survey Special Memoir: Geology of South Dorset and South-East Devon and its World Heritage Coast.
Seatown / Thorncombe Beacon field guides and related west Dorset coastal guides.

EQUIPMENT

Thorncombe Beacon is a location where you often have to work for your finds, but it is important to remember that it lies within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and forms part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. As such, hammering directly on the cliff or bedrock is not permitted, and collecting should only be carried out on loose material that has naturally fallen onto the foreshore.

Most fossils are found within loose blocks of the Beacon Limestone (formerly known as the Junction Bed) that have weathered out of the cliffs. A strong geological hammer can be useful for breaking apart loose rocks and nodules that may contain fossils, and a splitting chisel may help to open layered blocks more cleanly. Safety goggles are strongly recommended when splitting rocks.

Because many fossils from this location can be fragile, particularly brittlestars such as Palaeocoma egertoni, it is advisable to bring wrapping materials such as tissue, newspaper or bubble wrap to protect your finds. Small specimen boxes or containers can also be useful to prevent delicate fossils from being damaged during transport.

Sturdy walking boots with good grip are recommended, as the foreshore can be uneven and slippery, particularly after wet weather or high tides. As always along this stretch of coast, collectors should remain aware of tide times and avoid working too close to the unstable cliffs.

SAFETY

Common sense should always be used when collecting fossils at Thorncombe Beacon, and checking tide times before setting out is essential. If you are walking from Seatown, it is particularly important to double-check the tides, as once you round the headland at Thorncombe Beacon you cannot see how high the tide is at Seatown. The tide frequently reaches the base of the cliff along this stretch of coast and it is easy to become cut off once you are past the headland. For this reason, it is safest to plan your trip around low tide and begin your return journey while the tide is still falling or at its lowest point.

The cliffs at Thorncombe Beacon are very high and prone to frequent rockfalls and landslips. Large sections of the cliff regularly collapse without warning, particularly after heavy rain or stormy weather. Fossil hunters should never work directly beneath the cliffs and should keep a safe distance at all times, as falling rocks and debris pose a serious danger.

The foreshore itself can also be hazardous. The beach is made up of large, uneven and often slippery rocks, many of which are coated in algae or become slick when wet. Walking across these rocks can be difficult and there is a significant risk of slipping or twisting an ankle, especially when carrying equipment or concentrating on searching for fossils. Sturdy walking boots with good grip are strongly recommended to help reduce the risk of injury.

As with all coastal collecting, always remain aware of changing sea conditions, watch for rising tides and avoid collecting during rough weather or poor visibility. Taking care and planning your visit properly will ensure that fossil collecting at Thorncombe Beacon remains both safe and enjoyable.

CLEANING AND TREATING

Begin by removing any loose sediment very carefully using a soft toothbrush. Take your time, as many fossils—particularly pyritic specimens—are fragile and easily damaged. Once cleaned, fossils should be desalinated by soaking them in fresh water for at least 24 hours to remove residual salt. After soaking, allow specimens to dry naturally at room temperature. Do not dry them on radiators or other heat sources, as rapid drying can cause cracking or long-term damage.

Once fully dry, we recommend sealing fossils with Paraloid B-72, dissolved in acetone. This is a museum-grade consolidant that is widely available in pre-mixed bottles. Paraloid B-72 is stable, long-lasting, and does not yellow or react chemically over time. Importantly, it is also fully reversible, making it suitable for scientifically important or display-quality specimens.

Some collectors prefer to treat ammonites with artists’ varnish. This is acceptable for common species that are not of scientific importance, as it enhances colour and contrast and can make a specimen really “pop”. However, varnish is not reversible and is therefore not recommended for rarer or research-grade fossils.

DISCUSSIONS

ARTICLES

ACCESS RIGHTS

This site is an SSSI and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast. This means you can visit the site, but hammering the bedrock is not permitted. For full information about the reasons for the status of the site and restrictions please download the PDF from Natural England – SSSI Information – West Dorset

It is important to follow our ‘Code of Conduct’ when collecting fossils or visiting any site. Please also read our ‘Terms and Conditions‘

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