The seas around the UK have the potential to be amongst the most productive and wildlife-rich on earth. Hidden beneath the surface are landscapes every bit as varied and beautiful as those we see on land, with undersea cliffs, caves, chasms, mountains, dunes and plains. But it is not until the waves have retreated and the tide is low that we get a glimpse of this mysterious world and the weird and wonderful wildlife that inhabits it.<\/p>\n
Here is our selection of the best rockpools in Britain, including all the essential equipment you\u2019ll need for a successful day of rockpooling.<\/p>\n
Fancy a day on the beach? We have also rounded up some of the best beaches in the UK<\/a>, including the best family-friendly beaches<\/a>.<\/p>\n More related content:<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> \u00a0<\/p>\n Slowly submerge a bucket into the water and see what\u2019s\u00a0inside when you pull it back up again. Once you\u2019re done observing, slowly push the bucket back into the water, returning the creatures to their home. Nets aren\u2019t recommended when rockpooling as most of the creatures are small and getting stuck in the net which can seriously harm them.<\/p>\n You need to get stuck in\u00a0to have the best chance of spotting something. Pick up rocks to see if there\u2019s a crab underneath. Inspect seaweed to try and find what creatures are living within in it.<\/p>\n Investigate crevices in the rocks to find\u00a0shellfish, but make sure you return them once you\u2019ve observed them.<\/p>\n The best places to find interesting creatures are fairly sheltered rocky shores, on shingle or sandy beaches. You could also search around boulders, piers and pontoons which often contain interesting nooks and crannies for wildlife to hide in.<\/p>\n Spring tides are best as they reveal the very best pools and the best wildlife \u2013 species which you normally only find underwater, such as lobsters, spider crabs and small fish. Here are some of the best spots for rockpooling in the UK:<\/p>\n Bill Oddie voted Wembury his top spot for rockpooling in the UK \u2013 and it\u2019s easy to see why. Look out for the intriguing beadlet anemones, which reproduce by spitting out perfect baby anemones that float around until they find a rock to attach to; cushion starfish, which feed by pushing out their stomachs through their mouths to engulf food.<\/p>\n If you fancy getting more than your feet wet in Britain\u2019s rockpools, just around the corner from the Gower you\u2019ll find a perfectly round, deep plunge pool.\u00a0Nearby, you can explore a series of sea arches called the Three Chimneys as well as ancient caves that reportedly contain gold coins from a Portuguese wreck.<\/p>\n The Brough of Birsay is a small island off the Orkney<\/a>\u00a0mainland, scattered with the remains of Pictish and Norse settlements. Low tide exposes a causeway to the island, along with a medley of rockpools. Keep your eyes peeled and your buckets ready, as you\u2019re likely to find the popular groatie buckies (cowrie shells), starfish, anemones and crabs.<\/p>\n Beneath the chalky face of the Seven Sisters<\/a>, Hope Gap offers plenty of rewards for rockpoolers. It\u2019s also beautifully eerie at sunset, when the moon-like landscape turns pink in the changing light. Watch out for strawberry anemones, with speckled spots like berry pips, and velvet swimming crabs, which have paddle-like hind legs to scull away from predators.<\/p>\n When the tide draws out on Treyarnon Cove on the Cornish coast<\/a>, it reveals a natural tidal pool that\u2019s 9m\u00a0long and 2.5m\u00a0deep in the centre. Snorkelling in this renowned swimming spot, formed with a little help from a concrete dam at one end, provides an alternative perspective on the marine life within.<\/p>\n Wildlife including crabs, shrimps, anemones, limpets, snails and starfish can all commonly be seen in rockpools around the coast.<\/p>\n Highlights of a good day out can include a mermaid\u2019s purse (dogfish eggs that are like a tiny womb \u2013 hold them up to the light and you can see the developing embryo inside), squat lobsters and crabs hiding under rocks, common prawns darting about in the open water, blennies changing colour to match their background, cushion stars and starfish.<\/p>\n Beautiful beadlet anemones can only feed when their entire body is covered by water. Find one and watch it feeding \u2013 you may even tempt it if you dangle a bit of bacon in front of it. Then there\u2019s the aptly named butterfish, found under rocks and seaweed, which is very slippery and a difficult one to catch. Look for limpets that are underwater and see if they have moved from their mark on the rocks to feed on the surrounding algae.<\/p>\n Also keep a lookout for dogwhelks near mussels and check the mussels for holes \u2013 this is how the whelks feed, by drilling a hole in the mussel shell and sucking out the contents.<\/p>\n This soft-bodied crab lives in an empty spiral shell, moving up sizes as it grows. When inside, its right pincer seals the entrance.<\/p>\n Although the common starfish is usually orange in colour, it can also be brownish or purple.\u00a0 It is instantly recognisable from its five-armed shape, with some individuals having six arms.\u00a0 Starfish can regenerate missing arms \u2013 in fact they can become whole again from just one arm and part of the central body!\u00a0 Average size is 20cm across. Learn more about starfish species<\/a> found in the UK.<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/09\/GettyImages-534455120-2cbab72.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C403"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>How to go rockpooling<\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/09\/GettyImages-719872367-35a2f21.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Where to go rockpooling<\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Best places to go rockpooling in the UK<\/h2>\n
Wembury, Plymouth<\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Rhossili Bay, Gower<\/h3>\n
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The Brough of Birsay, off the coast of Orkney<\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/08\/Coastline-259453a.jpg?quality=90&resize=612%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Hope Gap, Sussex<\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/08\/Hope-Gap-Seven-Sisters-8d90f5e.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Treyarnon Cove, Cornwall<\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>What to look out for when rockpooling<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nWhat species can I see in rockpools?<\/h2>\n
Hermit Crab\u00a0Pagurus bernhardus<\/em><\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nCommon Starfish\u00a0Asterias rubens<\/i><\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nShanny\u00a0