Osmington Mills: Rockhounding in Dorset, Dorset

Osmington Mills is a mapped rockhounding spot in Dorset, Dorset, United Kingdom. Reported finds include ammonite, gryphaea. Below: coordinates, access notes, and nearby spots.

About Osmington Mills

The coast between Osmington Mills and Bran Point exposes a superb Corallian Group succession of Oxfordian age (roughly 163 to 157 million years old), including the Osmington Oolite Formation and Bencliff Grit. Rockfall debris and the rocky foreshore yield ammonites such as Perisphinctes, bivalves including Myophorella clavellata and Gryphaea dilatata, the small oyster Nanogyra nana, gastropods, echinoids like Nucleolites scutatus and trace fossils such as Diplocraterion. The site is an SSSI on the Jurassic Coast, so collecting is confined to fallen material and hammering into the cliffs is not allowed. The sea can cut off the beach here, so tide times matter.

UK Fossils: Osmington Mills →

Quick details

Access: Public area
Area: Dorset
County / council area: Dorset
Postcode: DT3 6HF
Coordinates: 50.63800, -2.36500

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 Osmington Mills

Ammonite
Gryphaea

Nearby rockhounding spots

Other UK rockhounding spots within driving distance of Osmington Mills.

Osmington Mills FAQ

Where is Osmington Mills?+

Osmington Mills is in Dorset, Dorset, United Kingdom, at 50.63800, -2.36500.

What rocks and minerals can you find at Osmington Mills?+

Osmington Mills is reported to produce Ammonite, Gryphaea.

Is collecting allowed at Osmington Mills?+

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 Dorset

See all 7 Dorset spots →

This spot is about 51 miles from Exeter. Rock and fossil collecting near Exeter →

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