Ballintoy: Rockhounding in Antrim, Causeway Coast and Glens

Ballintoy is a mapped rockhounding spot in Antrim, Causeway Coast and Glens, United Kingdom. Reported finds include ammonite, chalk fossils. Below: coordinates, access notes, and nearby spots.

About Ballintoy

Ballintoy harbour sits among the chalk and basalt of the north Antrim coast, and the well documented fossil collecting is at White Park Bay, just west of the village. There the Lower Jurassic Waterloo Mudstone, about 200 million years old, yields ammonites including Paltechioceras and Crucilobiceras along with Gryphaea, brachiopods and gastropods, while the overlying Upper Cretaceous chalk carries belemnites, echinoids and Inoceramus. The bay is an ASSI: hammering bedrock is not permitted and only loose fossils may be collected, though loose blocks may be carefully split. The sea reaches the cliffs at high tide, so searching is done on a falling tide.

UK Fossils: White Park Bay →

Quick details

Access: Public area
Area: Antrim
County / council area: Causeway Coast and Glens
Nearest road: Harbour Road
Postcode: BT54 6NA
Coordinates: 55.24200, -6.37300

Land & collecting status

Generally open to casual collecting

Public-tagged UK spots are usually beaches, foreshore, or long-worked collecting localities where picking up loose material is generally tolerated. Watch the tides, never dig into cliffs, and check local bylaws before you collect.

Rules differ across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Most UK land is private, beaches and foreshore generally tolerate casual pebble collecting, and SSSIs and scheduled monuments are protected. Check this site's status before you collect.

UK rockhounding rules & access guide →

Found at Ballintoy

Ammonite
Chalk Fossils

Nearby rockhounding spots

Other UK rockhounding spots within driving distance of Ballintoy.

Ballintoy FAQ

Where is Ballintoy?+

Ballintoy is in Antrim, Causeway Coast and Glens, United Kingdom, at 55.24200, -6.37300. Nearest road: Harbour Road.

What rocks and minerals can you find at Ballintoy?+

Ballintoy is reported to produce Ammonite, Chalk Fossils.

Is collecting allowed at Ballintoy?+

Generally open to casual collecting. Public-tagged UK spots are usually beaches, foreshore, or long-worked collecting localities where picking up loose material is generally tolerated. Watch the tides, never dig into cliffs, and check local bylaws before you collect. Access rules in the UK differ by nation and land type, so always confirm permission and protections before a trip.

More rockhounding in Causeway Coast and Glens

See all 4 Causeway Coast and Glens spots →

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