Best places to find fossils

A child's hands cup a collection of belemnites, bullet-shaped sandy-coloured fossils — Belemnite fossils can be found along the Jurassic Coast | © National Trust Images/Rob Coleman

Some of the coastal spots in our care are well known for their ancient finds, from ammonites to dinosaur bones. Discover the best places we look after in the UK to find fossils.

Birling Gap, East Sussex: Birling Gap, near Eastbourne, is part of the world-famous Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, one of the longest undeveloped stretches on the south coast. These cliffs, which are on the South Downs, are continually eroding, making it a top spot for finding fossils from the Cretaceous era.Visit Birling Gap
Charmouth, Dorset: Charmouth is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and a great place to find fossils. We care for part of the beach along this stretch, but for the best fossil-finding tips, head to the nearby Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre for information on how and where to find them.Visit Charmouth

Compton Bay, Isle of Wight: Sometimes referred to as ‘Dinosaur Island’, the Isle of Wight is a rich source of fossils. Compton Bay is a good place to start your hunt, particularly at low tide. See what you can spot among the loose gravel and stones. Just east of Compton Bay car park at Hanover Point, there's a footprint cast of a three-toed iguanodon at the base of the cliffs.Visit Compton Bay
White Park Bay, County Antrim: Secluded and sandy, the beach here forms a white arc between two headlands on the North Antrim Coast. Faults, landslips and raised areas have revealed fossils such as belemnites, ammonites and gryphaea for visitors to find. Look out for Elephant Rock – said to be a woolly mammoth that tried to escape a volcanic eruption.Visit White Park Bay
Yorkshire Coast: Rocks from the Jurassic period are visible in the dramatic cliffs and bays on the Yorkshire Coast. Staithes, Runswick, Robin Hood’s Bay, Boggle Hole and Saltburn are all good places to go hunting for fossils.Visit the Yorkshire Coast

A couple with their dog looking out to the beach and hills beyond in Murlough National Nature Reserve, County Down

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