North Yorkshire · Yorkshire and the North East coast
Fossil hunting at Staithes
A steep-sided fishing village with productive Jurassic foreshore towards Port Mulgrave and Boulby.
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 →
- BrachiopodsTwo-shelled marine animals, abundant in limestone and chalk.Identify →
- JetFossilised monkey puzzle wood from the Yorkshire coast, black and very light.Identify →
About the site
Staithes is a working fishing village hemmed in by high Jurassic cliffs. The foreshore north and south of the harbour exposes Lower Jurassic ironstones and shales with ammonites, belemnites and bivalves, and the ironstone nodules frequently contain good specimens.
Access is on foot from the village, and the tide dictates everything: the beaches here are narrow and disappear at high water.
Planning a visit
- Geological period
- Early Jurassic (Staithes Sandstone and Cleveland Ironstone formations), around 185–180 million years old
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Suitable for children
- Not recommended for young children at this site.
- Best time to go
- Falling tide after winter storms.
- Tides
- Narrow beaches that are entirely covered at high tide, with limited escape. Consult a tide table and turn back early.
- Access
- Steep walk down into the village; rough, boulder-strewn foreshore.
- Parking
- Car park at the top of the village — the village itself has no visitor parking.
- Walking and terrain
- About 800 m downhill to the harbour, then rough foreshore walking.
- Location type
- Beach, Cliff
- Collecting
- Loose material from the foreshore only. Parts of the coast are SSSI.
Safety
- High, unstable cliffs with frequent rockfall.
- Real risk of being cut off by the tide.
- Boulders are slippery and unstable underfoot.
What to bring
- Boots
- Tide table
- Hard hat if working near fallen blocks
- Phone
Nearby fossil locations
- 01Port MulgraveNorth Yorkshire · Yorkshire and the North East coastAmmonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · JetExperiencedBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 02Runswick BayNorth Yorkshire · Yorkshire and the North East coastAmmonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · Fossilised woodEasyFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 03Saltburn-by-the-SeaRedcar and Cleveland · Yorkshire and the North East coastAmmonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · JetEasyFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →