South Wales Fossils

There are lots of places to collect and see rocks and fossils in South Wales.

First a word of warning. Many of the best locations are under high loose cliffs on the shoreline. Most of the cliffs are relatively stable but loose rocks can fall. Visit at your own risk. Wear a suitable hardhat and try to gauge how secure the rock is above you. The rock faces are more stable in the summer. Also, some of the best locations mean that you could easily be cut off by the tide. Visit The Essentials page for current tide information. It is very common for people to be rescued from the shoreline.

Therefore be warned. You visit at your own risk.

A good safe location is Ogmore Beach. (Map). Park in the main Carpark on the left (east) side. You can then go down onto the wave cut platform. The main fossils here are corals. The corals are normally seen in cross-section in the rock. However, you will not be able to recover any as they are well embedded.

Nearby is Southerndown. You can find Gryphea here relatively easily. However, the best finds are close up to the cliff and the cliffs are high and loose. Therefore, it could be deemed to be "not safe".

Further along the coast to the east is Llantwit Major. For more information try this site - http://www.ukfossils.co.uk/sec101.htm The cliffs are not so high as Southerndown. Walk about 1/2 mile to the east to find the best specimens.

For something much safer try a Geology walk around Cardiff!! See http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/rocks/rockwalk.shtml and download the Cardiff document for details.