WHERE TO LOOK
Loose on the beach
The Charmouth centre says the best place to look is in the loose material on the beach, not in the cliffs.
Check before you goAN INFORMATIONAL GUIDE: FOSSIL COLLECTING LORE
Look down,
not up.
The best fossils are already lying on the beach.
FALLING TIDE away from cliffs
250+ Specimens recorded for the code
- Search the loose shingle
- Never dig the cliffs
- Record the rare ones
- The sea is the real collector
Here FCL stands for fossil collecting lore: this is an independent informational guide, not an organisation. Around Charmouth and Lyme Regis, fossils wash out of the cliffs into the shingle, and a simple code shapes how they are collected and recorded.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Where to find fossils
at Charmouth.
Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre: fossils that are not
collected will be destroyed by the sea.
THE CODE
No digging in situ
The collecting codes ask people not to dig into the cliffs without permission, and to record finds of key scientific importance.
See the numbers
WHY IT MATTERS
Rescue before the tide
Erosion keeps exposing fossils. Collecting rescues them before the sea breaks them up, so the code encourages it, sensibly.
Stay safeCHECK BEFORE YOU GO
Is it a good
time to look?
Pick the situation. The bar shows how good a time it is, going by the safety tips and collecting code below.
Based on Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre guidance and published Jurassic Coast safety tips. Always check local signs, tide times and conditions on the day.
FOUR SAFETY HABITS
Fossil hunting safety:
tides and cliffs.
These follow published Jurassic Coast safety tips.
Check the tide
Look up tide times before you go, plan around a falling tide and leave plenty of time to return.
Keep off the cliff base
Rock falls and landslides happen suddenly. There is no need to go near the cliffs: fossils wash onto the shore.
Dress for it
Wear sturdy boots with good grip, and bring layers and rain gear as the weather can change quickly.
Tell someone
Carry a phone, let someone know where you are going and when you expect back, and consider a guided fossil walk.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Recording finds
at Charmouth.
Both figures come from the
Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre.
250+
Specimens recorded for the code
Many have been acquired by museums through donation or sale, and others are available for research.
RECORDING · CHARMOUTH
200+
Years of study of Dorset's Lower Lias
Even so, discoveries new to science are still being found on this stretch of the Jurassic Coast.
STUDY · CHARMOUTH
The centre describes the Charmouth and Lyme Regis area as one of the most important sites in the world for Lower Jurassic fossils.
SHARING THE FINDS
Who keeps a fossil,
and who records it.
The Charmouth centre says that collectors who follow the code can have ownership of finds on certain land transferred to them, in recognition of the effort of recovery and cleaning.
Important finds should be recorded at the centre so experts can decide whether to study them, and anyone wanting to sell an important fossil is asked to offer it first to an accredited UK museum. The centre also relies on local collectors: they can go out at a moment's notice after big winter storms and landslides, and their knowledge of this coast makes them key to recovering scientifically important specimens.
Questions
Questions people ask
What does FCL stand for here?
Fossil collecting lore. This is an independent informational guide, not an organisation, museum or heritage centre.
Where should I look?
In the loose shingle and gravel on the beach, where fossils wash out of the cliffs. Not in the cliffs themselves.
Can I dig into the cliffs?
The collecting codes ask people not to dig in situ without permission, and the cliffs are unstable.
What if I find something special?
Record finds of key scientific importance at the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, whose wardens can also advise on what you have found.
Who wrote the code?
The approach was developed by Natural England, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site team, the centre says.
Why is collecting encouraged at Charmouth but not everywhere?
Because fossil sites differ in how sensitive they are to collecting. The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre explains that at sites like Charmouth, erosion keeps exposing fossils and the sea destroys any that are left, so active collecting rescues them. Other sites, such as a cave deposit or an abandoned mine tip, hold a finite supply, and collecting there can damage or even destroy them.
Which collecting code applies on this coast?
Two codes cover the area: the West Dorset Fossil Collecting Code of Conduct and the Undercliffs National Nature Reserve Fossil Collecting Code and Recording Scheme. They ask collectors not to dig in situ in the cliffs without permission and to record scientifically important finds, at the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre or through fossilcodes.org.
Where the facts come from
Updated