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Introduction to Watchet

Watchet Fossils and Fossil Collecting
Your Somerset Geological Guide and Geology Info

Watchet is rich in reptile remains and ammonites are also common. There are some spectacular faults that can be seen and fossil casts of giant ammonites on the foreshore. This is a must-visit location for anyone in the area in to fossils.


Watchet - Somerset
Last updated: [28/12/2004]  last visited 2004
Jurassic
Written by Alister and Alison Cruickshanks
(View of Watchet (Warren Bay)
(View of Watchet (Warren Bay) - 2002

Watchet Location Information

Watchet is very productive but the best time to collect is during scouring conditions along the foreshore. Many Reptile Remains can be collected just west of Warren Bay.

(Suitable for Children)

Watchet is suitable for family trips and is suitable for young children, fossils on the foreshore.

Access to the beach at Watchet is mostly by parking in the town itself and walking from Watchet Harbour along the beach. However if you want a more direct route, head for 'Warren Bay Campsite', just outside Watchet and park here, follow the footpath direct to Warren Bay.

Foreshore, Cliff

Watchet is a foreshore and cliff location, so fossils can be found in both. The vast majority of fossils are found in rocks on the foreshore, or exposed during scouring tides.

ACCESS
RIGHTS
There are 'NO' restrictions to this location

Please follow our national fossil collecting code

A UK Fossils & Discovering Fossils initiative (c) 2006

Other Locations similar to Watchet

There are many locations in the UK which can be seen to be similar to Watchet. apart from those in the nearby proximity such as Quantoxhead, Kilve, Doniford Bay, St Audries Bay, Lilstock, and Hinkley Point.

In Dorset, you can find fossils from the Lias around Charmouth, Chippel Bay, Seatown (Golden Cap), Thorncombe Beacon and Lyme Regis, In South Wales, you can also try Llantwit Major, and Lavernock. There are plenty of good locations along the Yorkshire Coast too, such as Saltwick Bay, Staithes, Port Mulgrave, Kettleness, Whitby, Ravenscar, Runswick Bay, Sandsend, and many more.


! IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTES !

Common sense when collecting at all locations should be taken and knowledge of tide times should always be noted. You can easily be cut off by the tide as the sea always reaches parts of the cliff, especially if walking via Watchet harbour or Blue anchor, the tide comes very high at these two locations.

The foreshore at Watchet is subject to periodic thick mud deposits, which submerge much of the rock platforms and render the foreshore quite dangerous to walk on. Warning signs are posted when relevant at the top of the cliff path.



Stone Tumblers (Lapidary)


Stone Tumblers are used for tumbling and polishing rough rock, stones and pebbles including those found on the beach and glass.

Whilst collecting fossils, on those days where you come back empty handed, you could collect rocks, stones and glass from the beach and tumble then at home.

These are all high quality machines to give a professional finish to your samples. The tumblers can be used with a variety of grits, most commonly Silicon Carbide Grit and Cerium Oxide. We have a wide range of rough rocks for sale too.

Microfossils are much easier to collect because they are so small that the vast majority of collections only concentrate on large finds. These small finds can simply be found by taking small samples of sands, crags, clays and soft rocks and examining them under a microscope.

We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, both for the study of fossils, but also educational and professional for use in the laboratory. We have Stereo microscopes, Compound Microscopes, Polarising Microscopes and Monocular Microscopes.


We have thousands of Test Sieves for Particle Analysis.

Endecotts Sieves: For accurate dependable results you can't buy a better test sieve than Endecotts. At every stage of manufacture each test sieve is individually inspected.

High Precision Tecan manufactures precision apertures as small as 3 microns for a wide array of applications such as filtering, sieving and nozzles. Its high-performance, ASTM/ISO compliant test sieves satisfy the most demanding fine particle grading requirements.

 



Images, Graphics & Content - (C)opyright 1998-2007 Alister & Alison Cruickshanks.
UK Fossils Management - Alister Cruickshanks & Roy Bullard
UK Fossils Curator - Ian Cruickshanks
UK Fossils is a division of CWA Design and run in conjunction with UKGE. 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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