Essex · Essex
Fossil hunting at Walton-on-the-Naze
Red Crag over London Clay at the Naze, one of the most reliable shark tooth sites in Britain.
Representative photography of this stretch of coast, not a photograph of the site on a particular day.
What can you find?
- Shark teethSmall, glossy, triangular teeth weathered out of Eocene and Pliocene beds.Identify →
- GastropodsFossil snails, coiled into a cone rather than a flat spiral.Identify →
- BivalvesFossil shellfish with two matching valves, common on most marine sites.Identify →
- Fossilised woodDriftwood and tree remains replaced by minerals, sometimes as jet or lignite.Identify →
- CoralsColonial and solitary corals preserved in limestone.Identify →
About the site
The Naze, north of Walton-on-the-Naze, exposes the Pliocene Red Crag resting on Eocene London Clay. The Crag is a shelly, iron-stained sand full of gastropods and bivalves, and it also contains reworked shark teeth that concentrate on the beach below.
It is a straightforward site: park at the Naze, walk down to the beach, and sieve or search the shingle and the sand at the base of the cliffs. Fossil wood and pyritised material from the London Clay also appear.
The cliffs are eroding rapidly, which keeps the site productive but also makes them dangerous. Everything worth having is on the beach.
Planning a visit
- Geological period
- Pliocene Red Crag over Eocene London Clay, around 2–54 million years old
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Suitable for children
- Yes, with supervision and attention to the tide and cliffs.
- Best time to go
- After winter storms, on a falling tide.
- Tides
- The beach below the cliffs narrows at high tide — work a falling tide.
- Access
- Level path across the Naze; beach access is by steps and a ramp.
- Parking
- Pay and display car park at the Naze by the Naze Tower.
- Walking and terrain
- 300–500 m from car park to beach.
- Location type
- Beach, Cliff
- Collecting
- Collect from the beach. Digging into the cliff is prohibited here and accelerates erosion of a designated site.
Safety
- The cliffs are collapsing actively — never stand beneath them or climb them.
- Mud at the cliff base can be deep.
What to bring
- Sieve
- Wellies
- Kneeling mat
- Small pots
Nearby fossil locations
- 01BawdseySuffolk · SuffolkShark teeth · Gastropods · BivalvesModerateBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 02Herne BayKent · KentShark teeth · Fossilised wood · Gastropods · BivalvesEasyFamily friendlyBeachExplore location →
- 03Warden Point, Isle of SheppeyKent · KentShark teeth · Fossilised wood · Plant fossils · GastropodsModerateBeach, CliffExplore location →