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Layered Jurassic cliffs above a shingle foreshore on the Dorset coast at low tide

Find where Britain’s fossils are hiding.

Explore fossil hunting locations across the UK, discover what you can find at each site, and choose the right place for your next trip.

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The UK fossil map

Where do you want to look?

Map of the United Kingdom showing fossil hunting regionsLyme Regis — DorsetCharmouth — DorsetWhitby — North YorkshireCompton Bay — Isle of WightRobin Hood's Bay — North YorkshireWalton-on-the-Naze — EssexRunswick Bay — North YorkshireHerne Bay — KentHunstanton — NorfolkBracklesham Bay — West SussexDunraven Bay, Southerndown — Vale of GlamorganBarton on Sea — HampshireStaithes — North YorkshireWarden Point, Isle of Sheppey — KentKimmeridge Bay — DorsetYaverland, Sandown — Isle of WightSaltburn-by-the-Sea — Redcar and ClevelandSeatown — DorsetWest Runton — NorfolkKilve Beach — SomersetBeer Beach — DevonFiley Brigg — North YorkshireFolkestone Warren — KentLlantwit Major — Vale of GlamorganPort Mulgrave — North YorkshireBranscombe — DevonBrook Bay — Isle of WightChurch Ope Cove, Portland — DorsetHastings and Fairlight — East SussexEype Beach — DorsetWatchet — SomersetPenarth — Vale of GlamorganRingstead Bay — DorsetBawdsey — SuffolkAust Cliff — South GloucestershireBlue Anchor — SomersetHowick Haven — Northumberland

Select a region on the map, or use the region list below. Every marker is a location in the database.

All of the United Kingdom

37 locations

  1. 01Lyme RegisDorset · DorsetAmmonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · Marine reptile remainsBeginnerFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
  2. 02CharmouthDorset · DorsetAmmonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · Fossilised woodBeginnerFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
  3. 03WhitbyNorth Yorkshire · Yorkshire and the North East coastAmmonites · Belemnites · Jet · BivalvesEasyFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
  4. 04Compton BayIsle of Wight · Isle of WightDinosaur fossils · Fossilised wood · Plant fossils · BivalvesModerateFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
  5. 05Robin Hood's BayNorth Yorkshire · Yorkshire and the North East coastAmmonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · CrinoidsEasyFamily friendlyBeach, Geological siteExplore location →
  6. 06Walton-on-the-NazeEssex · EssexShark teeth · Gastropods · Bivalves · Fossilised woodEasyFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
  7. 07Runswick BayNorth Yorkshire · Yorkshire and the North East coastAmmonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · Fossilised woodEasyFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
  8. 08Herne BayKent · KentShark teeth · Fossilised wood · Gastropods · BivalvesEasyFamily friendlyBeachExplore location →

Or start from a fossil

What do you want to find?

Start from the fossil rather than the place. Each entry lists the British sites where that material is recorded.

Selected sites

Good places to begin

Coastal cliffs and foreshore typical of Dorset

Dorset · Dorset

Lyme Regis

The most famous fossil town in Britain, where Mary Anning worked. Ammonites and belemnites on the foreshore in quantity.

6 recorded fossil types · Beginner · Early Jurassic (Blue Lias), around 200–195 million years old

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Coastal cliffs and foreshore typical of Dorset

Dorset · Dorset

Charmouth

Perhaps the best beginner's fossil beach in Britain, with a heritage centre and an easy, productive foreshore.

Ammonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · Fossilised wood

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Coastal cliffs and foreshore typical of North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire · Yorkshire and the North East coast

Whitby

Jurassic shales and the home of Whitby jet. Ammonites, belemnites and jet on the beaches either side of the town.

Ammonites · Belemnites · Jet · Bivalves

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Coastal cliffs and foreshore typical of Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight · Isle of Wight

Compton Bay

The Isle of Wight's best-known dinosaur coast, with footprint casts on the foreshore at low tide.

Dinosaur fossils · Fossilised wood · Plant fossils · Bivalves

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Coastal cliffs and foreshore typical of North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire · Yorkshire and the North East coast

Robin Hood's Bay

Wide Jurassic wave-cut scars with ammonites in the rock and loose material in the shingle.

Ammonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · Crinoids

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Fossil hunting by region

Before you go

All guides →