Howick fossils and fossil collecting

The hamlet of Howick can be reached by taking a minor road from the B1339.
Pass the few houses on the left hand side of the road that make up the hamlet and you will come to a ‘T’ junction. Go left here and park in the first layby you come to on the right hand side of the road.
From the layby, you can access the beach. You can hunt for fossils along a 1km stretch going north and approximately 200m south.
So long as you have a car, this is an easy site to access.

GRID REF: 55.45164°N, 1.58780°W

Trilobites, plants, orthocones, brachiopods, corals, crinoids, trace fossils

This secluded location offers a surprisingly varied selection of fossils over a little more than a kilometre of coastline. Trilobites, crinoid pieces, corals, brachiopods, plant fossils, trace fossils and more can be found here.

Medium

Fossils are not immediately apparent here, you have to look to find them. However, with a bit of patience and a keen eye you should see plenty.

Suitable for children

The location is generally fairly flat and easily accessed from the layby next to the beach. However, in places, rocky ledges a few feet tall may need to be climbed or descended.

Very Good Access

So long as you have a car, this is an easy site to access.

Foreshore

Fossils can be seen in large sandstone and limestone boulders, and can be collected as smaller limestone cobbles and pebbles. They can also be observed in the rock platforms that cross the beach.

No Restrictions

There are no restrictions at this location, but please follow our own code of conduct for all locations.

Howick
Tide Times

Click here for free tide tables

Although there are numerous access points to the beach, it is possible to get cut off in a few places along this stretch of coast line, so be aware of your tide times and collect on a retreating tide. Always tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to return. If at all possible, collect as a pair or a group and take a mobile phone.

Last updated:	2010
last visited:	2009
Written by:	Joe Shimmin

A good eye is mostly all you need, but a pick will prove very useful for the shale. Wear hiking boots as this is a foreshore location.

Other Locations similar to Howick

In Northumberland, there are a number of good Carboniferous sites. These are Beadnell, Berwick, Howich and Scremerston.

Videos: View of Howick 1 | View of Holwick 2


To the south of the access point, there are large sandstone blocks which contain stigmaria root fossils as well as impressions of tree trunks. In the base of the cliffs here can be seen strange vertical disturbances through the strata, which could be the remains of plant roots. Immediately in front of the access point is a large ledge of hard limestone or mudstone. The fractured surface of this can be investigated for the remains of brachiopods, crinoids, corals, orthocones and trilobites. Unless absolutely necessary, please do not remove fossils from here; leave them for others to enjoy also. To the north of the access point, the limestone ledges and loose rocks can be investigated for corals, crinoid pieces and other fossils. About 200m along from the entrance to the beach, where a headland sticks out, shale pieces can be split to reveal lovely brachiopod fossils. Further north, about 150m before the beach ends at steep cliffs, undulating rock ledges can be investigated to reveal pryitic brachiopod fossils. Sandstone blocks can be found along the length of the beach. These can contain interesting feeding burrow trace fossils. Crinoidal limestone pebble

	Carboniferous, 330mya
At Howick, the marine Carboniferous deposits are of Visean age, this is part of the Brigantian stage...[more]


Orthocone in limestone...[more]

Stone Tumblers

Field Loupes

Gold Pans

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.

Field loupes are an essential part of your field equipment for any fossil hunting trips. We sell a wide range of Field Loupes, including our own brand name and the Ruper range. Field Lenses will enable you to view small fossils in detail.

At Howick, Field Lenses can be used to look at the detailed coral structure. A hand lense is a very handy piece of equipment to carry around with you!

For our full range, see our website.

We sell a very wide range of equipment at UKGE, and one of our popular lines is Gold Pans. Gold panning is popular in the UK, in Scotland and Wales. Panning for Gold can be done by using Gold Pans in streams. You can find flakes of gold or if your lucky, nougats.

We have a wide range of gold pans, which are availble in plastic or steel and manufactuered by the Estwing, USA. We offer sizes of 12", 14" or the full size 16". We keep them all in stock and available next day.