Seaford fossils and fossil collecting

Go past the Seaford Head golf course, along Chyngton Road and up a narrow lane at the end which takes you to the car park.
From the car park, take the central track road down. (the left and right hand road simply loops around to meet the trackway). Follow and then take the footpath that veers to the right down through the gap. This will then lead to some steps. There are other access points from the car park.
There are numerous boulders on the beach and the foreshore is uneven and slippery. The location is suitable for children but parents should be on hand to supervise.

GRID REF: 50.76259°N, 0.13085°E

Echinoids, bryzoans, brachiopods,
crinoid pieces, bivalves

Depending on foreshore conditions, this can be an excellent location. A foreshore platform to the right of the steps, and starting immediately when you enter the beach is extremely rich in echinoids. You can see vast numbers which are wave-cut. But, look harder and complete specimens should be found.

High

The chalk here is very fossiliferous in places. In the cliffs many echinoid spines, bryozoans and numerous other types of fossils can be seen. However, these should not be collected. Some good examples can be found by splitting boulders and searching the foreshore, but patience is needed. The foreshore chalk on the right hand side of the beach when entering from the steps, is very rich in echinoids.

Supervised Children

There are numerous boulders on the beach and the foreshore is uneven and slippy. The location is suitable for children but parents should be on hand to supervise.

Very Good Access

There is a free car park at the top of the cliff and a fairly short walk down to the beach. Once on the beach walking is easy enough in most areas.

Foreshore/Boulders

Fossils can be found in the chalk of the foreshore and also within boulders. The cliffs should be avoided however.

No Restrictions

From the car park to the beach the land is a nature reserve. The beach, however, has no restrictions. Make sure you let people know where you have gone and what time you expect to be back.

Seaford
Tide Times

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Click here to buy a tide table

There cliffs here are prone to collapses, so keep a safe distance from them. In some places weed on the foreshore makes it slippery. It is possible to become cut off by the tide so make sure you collect on a retreating tide. Mobile phone signals are generally non-existent here so make sure someone knows where you have gone and what time you expect to be back.

Last updated:	2012
last visited:	2012
Written by:	Alister Cruickshanks and Joe Shimmin

Other Locations similar to Seaford

In Sussex, there are many excellent locations for collecting chalk fossils. Newhaven, Seaford, Eastbourne, Seven Sisters, Peacehaven and Beachy Head.

Kent also has some excellent locations, including Dumpton, Kingsgate, Birchington, Samphire Hoe, Pegwell Bay, Dover and St Margarets Bay.

You can also find middle chalk at Hookend Cliff, and Pinhay Bay in Devon, and at Hunstanton in Norfolk.


As soon as you enter from the steps, walk towards the right, this is the best area to collect from. There is a large area of wave cut platform to look over in search of echinoids. These are generally cut or worn however, complete specimens can be found and especially if breaking chalk blocks which is much more productive for good specimens. All along this coast-line is productive. The cliffs have many cidaroid echinoid spines, bryozoans etc. weathering out of them. All of these fossils can be found in chalk blocks also but are less apparent in these than in the cliffs. With patience you should find a few nice specimens to take home. There are some fantastic views of the Seven Sisters here, and this location is much safer than collecting from the famous Seven Sisters site. Chalk Cliffs at Seaford

Cretaceous, 86mya

On the foreshore and 20m West, the Cliffe and Hope Gap Beds are accessible. These are part of the Lewes Chalk group. There is also a red-iron stained nodular and hardground surface which is known as the 'Hope Gap Hardground.

The cliffs are Seaford are of the Seaford Chalk, part of the Santonian and Coniacian age and cover several members including the Haven Brow, Cuckmere, Seven Sisters Flint Band and Belle Tout....[more]


Echinocorys with encrusting sponges...[more]

A good, sturdy bag and plenty of packing material, as well as a hammer and chisel are need at this location. Waterproof boots with a good grip will also come in handy.

Related Books

Microscopes

Test Sieves for Microfossils

Fossils of the Chalk

A fantastic book covering the chalk of the UK. This book covers most of the fossils that can be found in the chalk. It is a fully illustrated guide. This is the second edition of this popular book and is available from our own UK Fosils/UKGE Store.

All of our books have FREE UK Delivery, We have hundreds of geological books for sale.

At Seaford, you can find Microfossils from the chalk. They are much easier to collect because they are so small that you only need a small amount of chalk sample. You then need to break it down in water and view using a microscope to view these.

Chalk is actually composed of fossil shells, so you only need a small amount of sample on your microscope.

We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, you will need a Stereo microscope for viewing microfossils.

Test Sieves are used when searching for microfossils. We recommend that you use a test sieve with water at different levels. Test sieves for chalk fossils should be 300 microns, and 500 microns.

Our UKGE Store sells Endecotts Test Sieves, which are the highest in accuracy and extremely durable and long lasting. These Test Sieves are fantastic for microfossils. Endecotts Test Sieves come in a variety of sizes, frame material and types, they are fully certificated to EU Standards.