What to take fossil hunting

• Boots or wellingtons with real grip — wet rock and weed are the main cause of injuries
• A tide table for the day and the specific beach
• A bag or box, and newspaper or bubble wrap for fragile finds
• Waterproofs and a warm layer; the best conditions are the worst weather
• A charged phone

• A hand lens (10x) for small teeth and shell detail
• A garden sieve with 3–5 mm mesh for shark tooth beaches
• A kneeling mat — much of this work is done at ground level
• Small pots or tubes for delicate pyritised specimens
• A notebook, so you can record where each find came from

A geological hammer is a specialist tool and a beginner rarely needs one. On most British sites the useful material is already loose, and on designated sites hammering is not permitted at all.

If you do use one, buy a proper geological hammer rather than a DIY claw hammer, always wear safety glasses, and never hammer at a cliff face or anything above you.

Rinse in fresh water, not salt, and dry slowly. Pyritised specimens — the golden ammonites from Charmouth and the Sheppey material — degrade in damp air, so keep them dry and check them occasionally. Label everything with the site and the date while you still remember.