Ballintoy: Rockhounding in Antrim, Causeway Coast and Glens
- Minerals reported
- 2
Ballintoy is a mapped rockhounding spot in Antrim, Causeway Coast and Glens, United Kingdom. Reported finds include ammonite, chalk fossil. 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.
Plan your visit
Generally open to casual collecting
- Area
- Antrim
- County / council area
- Causeway Coast and Glens
- Nearest road
- Harbour Road
- Postcode
- BT54 6NA
- Coordinates
- 55.24200, -6.37300
Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground and access before you head out.
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.
Today's weather
Is today a good day to go?
The app shows live weather, recent rain, and a daily rockhounding score for Ballintoy.
Get the appFound at Ballintoy
AmmoniteEncyclopedia →- Chalk Fossil
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other UK rockhounding spots within driving distance of Ballintoy.
- Whitepark BayAntrim, Causeway Coast and Glens · 2 mi awayAmmonite, Belemnite, Chalk Fossil
- Portrush (Ramore Head foreshore)Antrim, Causeway Coast and Glens · 11 mi awayAmmonite
- Glenariff (Waterfoot)Antrim, Causeway Coast and Glens · 20 mi awayAnalcime, Garronite, Chalcedony
- BallygallyAntrim, Mid and East Antrim · 31 mi awayAgate, Chalcedony, Analcime
- Waterloo Bay (Larne)Antrim, Mid and East Antrim · 35 mi awayAmmonite, Belemnite, Gryphaea
- Bennane HeadSouth Ayrshire · 55 mi awayJasper, Agate, Chalcedony
Ballintoy FAQ
Where is Ballintoy?+
What rocks and minerals can you find at Ballintoy?+
Is collecting allowed at Ballintoy?+
More rockhounding in Causeway Coast and Glens
See all 4 Causeway Coast and Glens spots →
Open Ballintoy on the map
Use the RockHoundR app for geology, weather, directions, and saved finds.
