Ringstead Bay: Rockhounding in Dorset, Dorset

About Ringstead Bay

Ringstead Bay exposes an Upper Jurassic sequence spanning the Corallian Group, Kimmeridge Clay, Portland and Purbeck rocks. Kimmeridge Clay dominates the section and produces ammonites such as Pictonia densicostata, Rasenia cymodoce and Aulacostephanus species, plus the giant oyster Deltoideum delta, the bivalve Myophorella clavellata and corals from the Ringstead Coral Bed. Fossils are picked up on the foreshore or gently prised from the clay, with winter storms refreshing the supply. The bay is an SSSI within the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, so hammering the bedrock is not permitted.

UK Fossils: Ringstead Bay →

Quick details

Access

Public area

Area

Dorset

County / council area

Dorset

Postcode

DT2 8NG

Coordinates

50.63110, -2.35130

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 Ringstead Bay

• Ammonite
• Gryphaea