By countryfile

Published: Friday, 07 January 2022 at 12:00 am

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There is nothing as exciting as taking a walk along the beach and stumbling across a fossil that dates back hundreds of millions of years.

Here we have collected some of the best places for beginners to start their collection of ammonites, echinoids and belamnites, so grab a bucket and a pair of sturdy shoes and get hunting. More experienced collectors might invest in special tools to break open boulders, but a sharp pair of eyes and a bucket for collecting is all you’ll need to take with you to the places listed here.

Here is our guide on the best places to find fossils in the UK.

The abundance of fossils strewn along the Jurassic Coastline is just one of the reasons why this area is the UK’s only natural UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the heart of the coastline lies Lyme Regis, which hosts its annual Fossil Festival every spring. Visitors will be able to take part in guided fossil walks, meet scientists from the British Antarctic Survey and purchase fossils and fossil-based arts and crafts from the Fossil Fair.

More related articles:

• UK treasure guide: best places to find and how to hunt for treasure
• Britain’s best beaches
• Guide to rockpooling: how to get started, where to go, and essential equipment

Graptolites – derived from the Greek words ‘writing’ (graptos) and ‘stone’ (lithos) – were planktonic organisms that drifted about the oceans feeding on algae. Some species even evolved into worm-like filter feeders known as pterobranchs that still live on the ocean floor today. Just imagine, these ‘scribbled on’ rocks found at Abereiddy Bay contain the remains of organisms with a half-billion-year-long history.

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Herne Bay, Kent

Visitors from across Europe flock to Herne Bay to search the fossiliferous beds.  Shark teeth, mostly belonging to the Stratiolamia macrota, are the most prevalent type of fossil found. For the best chance of finding natural treasures amongst the sediment, head to the beach at Beltinge just east of Herne Bay, and walk further east towards Reculver. Visit during spring tides when water levels are extremely low, allowing visitors to search a wider area of the shoreline.

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Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex

The small coastal town of Walton-on-the-Naze has been attracting fossil hunters since the nineteenth century. The coastline here is said to be eroding by half a metre every year, meaning that more and more fossils are turning up on the beach as the cliffs crumble away. Park outside the Naze Tower, an eighteenth century lighthouse, and go down the steps, heading north along the beach. Look out for shark teeth, pyritised twigs and bivalve shells. Take care to avoid walking below the cliff edges, which become particularly fragile following bad weather.

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Bracklesham Bay, Sussex

Spring is the best time to visit Bracklesham Bay, particularly during scouring tides when bivalves, shark teeth and gastropods litter the beach. The flat, sandy beach is ideal for children to survey the sands for the remains of prehistoric creatures. Visit an hour before low tide for best results. During early spring and early autumn, it is easy to get stuck in the soft clay during scouring conditions so watch where you’re walking, particularly if the tide is coming in.

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Redcar, Durham

The ease of access, café and proximity to town make Redcar the ideal location for young fossil collectors. The absence of cliffs and crashing waves also makes this a relatively safe environment for little ones to run about on, while the shingle surface means it’s easy to spot ancient shells on the surface. Although the nature of the environment here means that discoveries might not be particularly exciting for the more experienced collector, the bountiful numbers of bivalves washing up on the shore will excite new collectors both young and old.

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Charmouth, Dorset

Indulge in fossils on the Jurassic coastline of Dorset and Devon. Now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s made up of 95 miles and 185 million years of prehistoric life, gradually exposed for eventual discovery. The Dorset village of Charmouth – the gateway to the Jurassic Coast – is pleasantly removed from the blare and glare of other seaside amusements, and is a wonderful starting point for a fossil-hunting daytrip.

 

What is beachcombing?

Beachcombing is a soothing activity which involves combing the shoreline to see what objects of interest you can see. This could be shells, pebbles, seaglass or one of the seashore marvels listed below.

Here is our expert guide to beachcombing, including things to look out for, how to beachcomb, and best beaches for beachcombing in the UK.

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Danes Dyke, Yorkshire

The soft chalk at Danes Dyke dates back 75 million years to the Cretaceous period and is the UK’s best location for collecting sponges. Experienced fossil collectors may wish to bring a hammer and chisel with them to break open boulders along the shore to find the freshest sponges, although there is plenty to find by simply scanning the loose rocks, including echinoids, crinoid plates and sea urchin spines. Danes Dyke is easily accessible, and has a café, car park and toilets, making it suitable for all the family.

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Mappleton, Yorkshire

Mappleton, home to an old MOD base, is one of the best places to get down onto the eroding Holderness Coastline. The rapid erosion ensures that fossils turn up on the beach on a regular basis. Fossils found along this coastline arrived here in glacial deposits, meaning that the things that turn up on the beach didn’t originate in this area. Fossils found at Mappleton can range dramatically in size, from small belemnites to large pieces of oak that would have fallen when the ice sheets came down. Keep children away from the cliff face and pay attention to any notices around the old MOD base.

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Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire

The cliffs overlooking the Solent are rich with fossils, making the area between Highcliffe and Barton-on-Sea perfect for exploring. On the sandy beach, driftwood is found amongst a host of fossilised shells including gastropods and bivalves. The eroding cliffs mean that fossils often find their way down onto the beach, and great care should be taken if you choose to explore the cliff slippages as it’s easy to become stuck. Visit as the tide is going out to increase your chances of finding shark teeth strewn along the shoreline.

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West Runton, Norfolk

In 1990, a local couple walking along West Runton beach stumbled across the fossilised skeleton of a steppe mammoth. Although you might not find a mammoth yourself, the sand and pebble beach is ripe with smaller fossils such as belemnites and sponges, particularly after a high tide or big storm, while rock pools mean you can explore the environment of living creatures too.

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Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan

Trains run from Cardiff Queen Street to Penarth every 15 minutes, making this the perfect place for a fossil-hunting day trip.  The constant erosion of the cliff face at Penarth means that you can find a huge range of fossils without needing to bring your hammer and chisel along. Fossils here date from the Jurassic period, so the brachiopods, ammonites and gastropods you take home will be 200 million years old. Fish and chips on the pier provide the ideal reward for a hard day’s fossil collecting.

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