Freshwater Bay fossils and fossil collecting

Follow signs to the Isle of Portland from Weymouth and once you are on the island, you will drive through Fortuneswell, follow the road from here to Easton, take the Eastern Road towards the museum and continue down the eastern side of the Island.
There is car park at the top of Freshwater Bay, here there are excellent views including across to the mainland.
Parking is FREE on the Island of Portland (with the exception on the privately owned car park at Portland Bill). From the car park, walk South, into the old quarry, there is nearby access to the beach.

GRID REF: 50.53253°N, 2.43324°W

ammonites, mollusc's, algae, trace

Freshwater Bay is the best place on the Isle of Portland to access the Portland Stone. Here mollusc's and ammonites can be found, although the later is not common, along with trace fossils. You can collect from the cliff-top quarry or from the foreshore.

Low

Fossils at Freshwater Bay are not common and those that can be found are poorly preserved. The ammonites have mostly been taken, but it is still a lovely location to see the ripple marks and bivalves which are best photographed

Not for Children

Freshwater Bay is not suitable for

children to fossil hunt, the edge of the quarry is very steep.

Good Access

Accessibility at Freshwater Bay is fairly good at this location, although the path can often be overgrown and during wet conditions, very slippery.

Disused Quarry, Cliffs

Fossils are mostly found in the loose rocks at the cliff-top quarry. but the foreshore at Freshwater Bay can also be accessed and fossils such as ammonites can be found here.

No Restrictions

There are no restrictions on the Isle of Portland, but sensible collecting is important for all locations. Please follow our Code of Conduct found under our safety notes section below.

Common sense when collecting at all locations should be taken and knowledge of tide times should always be noted. Please keep away from the edge of the quarry as this is very sleep.

Freshwater Bay
Tide Times

UK Tidal data is owned by Crown Copyright, and therefore sadly we are not allowed to display tide times without paying expensive annual contracts. However we sell them via our store, including FREE POSTAGE
Click here to buy a tide table

Accommodation

Seaview

Family run bed & breakfast, comfortable non-smoking accommodation with tea & coffee making facilities and networked & wireless broadband in all rooms. Open all year. Private parking.

151 Weston Street, Portland, DT52DG
Tel: 01305 821573

If you would like to advertise on this page, please 'contact us'.
£10/Year or 'FREE' for return links from accommodation website pages.

Last updated:	2008
last visited:	2008
Written by:	Alister and Alison Cruickshanks


From the Purbeck Beds (Lulworth Formation), at the top of the quarry, you can find trace fossils of algal laminations and convolutions along with fossil tree trunks. Bivalves and oysters are also common from this formation. The lower beds are the Portland Beds, and there is a layer full of the large ammonites (Glaucolithites) that can often be seen over the island from quarries. However, these are over-collected and today, are quite rare. The serpulid worm, Glomerula gordialis is common. A shell bed further around the bay also yields oysters and bivalves. Bivalves are the most common fossil at Freshwater Bay Look out for trace fossils at Freshwater Bay, such as these algae traces

	Jurassic, 145mya
At the top of the cliffs at Freshwater Bay, is the Purbeck Beds these are of the Lulworth Formation. Of particular interest is the 'Top Cap' bed, which has fossil algae and tree trunks. Below this is the Jurassic, Portland Beds, Cherty Series. The full succession of this including the Basa Shell Bed is 200m to the north-west.....[more]


Geological Tools	Most of the fossils at Freshwater Bay are found by in the hard Portland Stone. You will need a good quality hammer and chisel to get any fossils out. A Crack hammer is recommended at this location....[more]

Other Locations similar to Freshwater Bay

For other locations with Portland Stone, try Dancing Ledge, Perryfield Quarry, Church Ope Church or West Weare in Dorset

Stone Tumblers

Microscopes

Geological Equipment

If you are interested in fossil collecting, then you may also be interested in a stone tumbler (Lapidary). You can polish stones and rocks from the beach which will look fantastic polished using a stone tumbler.

You can polish rough rock and beach glass whilst collecting fossils, on those days where you come back empty handed. These are all high quality machines to give a professional finish to your samples. They can even be used for amber and fossils.

At most locations, you can find microfossils. You only need a small sample of the sand. You then need to wash it in water and sieve using a test sieve. Once the sand is processed, you can then view the contents using a microscope.

We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, you will need a Stereomicroscope for viewing microfossils. The best one we sell is the IMXZ, but a basic microscope will be fine. Once you have found microfossils, you will need to store these microfossils.

UKGE, market leaders in Geological Supplies and Geology Equipment. We supply retail, education, wholesale and trade in the UK, Europe and beyond.

With our wide range of geological hammers and geological picks as well as fossil tools, starter packs and geological chisels.

UKGE is your geological superstore, selling a wide range of field equipment, rocks, minerals, fossils, geological and even microscopy!

(C)opyright 2008 - UKGE Limited, UK Fossils Network and Deposits Magazine, all rights reserved.
Whilst we try to ensure that all content is accurate and up to date we cannot guarantee this. UK Fossils takes no responsibility in the accuracy of this content, nor takes any liabilities for any trips, events or exchanges between visitors using either the discussion board or the UK Fossils planner. Any posted trips and events by UK Fossils are personal and not arranged by UK Fossils, therefore visitors should seek their own personal insurance cover. Please remember to always check the tide times.
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