Redcar and Cleveland · Yorkshire and the North East coast
Fossil hunting at Saltburn-by-the-Sea
A broad, accessible beach at the northern end of the Jurassic coast, with ammonites and belemnites in the shingle.
Representative photography of this stretch of coast, not a photograph of the site on a particular day.
What can you find?
- AmmonitesCoiled shells of extinct marine molluscs, the classic British fossil.Identify →
- BelemnitesBullet-shaped internal guards of squid-like Jurassic and Cretaceous animals.Identify →
- BivalvesFossil shellfish with two matching valves, common on most marine sites.Identify →
- JetFossilised monkey puzzle wood from the Yorkshire coast, black and very light.Identify →
- BrachiopodsTwo-shelled marine animals, abundant in limestone and chalk.Identify →
About the site
Saltburn has a long sandy beach backed by Lower Jurassic cliffs at Huntcliff. The shingle produces ammonites, belemnites, bivalves and occasional jet, and the beach is easy to reach and pleasant to walk.
It suits a family visit: promenade, pier and cliff lift at one end, and productive foreshore towards Huntcliff and Skinningrove at the other.
Planning a visit
- Geological period
- Early Jurassic (Redcar Mudstone and Staithes Sandstone), around 195–180 million years old
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Suitable for children
- Yes, with supervision and attention to the tide and cliffs.
- Best time to go
- After north-easterly storms, on a falling tide.
- Tides
- The foreshore beneath Huntcliff is cut off at high water. Work a falling tide.
- Access
- Level promenade and beach access, with a cliff lift between town and seafront.
- Parking
- Pay and display car parks at the seafront and in the town.
- Walking and terrain
- Beach immediately adjacent; 1.5 km east to Huntcliff.
- Location type
- Beach, Cliff
- Collecting
- Loose foreshore material only.
Safety
- Huntcliff is high and unstable — keep clear of the base.
- Tidal cut-off east of the pier.
What to bring
- Boots or wellies
- Tide table
- Bag
Nearby fossil locations
- 01StaithesNorth Yorkshire · Yorkshire and the North East coastAmmonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · BrachiopodsModerateBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 02Runswick BayNorth Yorkshire · Yorkshire and the North East coastAmmonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · Fossilised woodEasyFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →