Runswick: Feb-ulous fossiling!

The 2026 schedule for Fossils-UK’s Yorkshire fossil-hunting tours has gone live, and I’m up first, leading a trip to Runswick Bay on Sunday February 8th from 12-2pm. But why on Earth might anyone want to go fossil-finding there, with me, in the depths of winter? Let me explain…

Why February?

OK, there’s always a chance the trip will get called off due to a weather warning. The Yorkshire Coast in winter can be a wild and bitter place. HOWEVER, the reasons February is such a great time to go out fossiling are:

• Fresh material – the autumn and winter storms will have brought new fossils down from the cliffs and onto the beach.
• No seaweed – the marine algae will have died off during the winter, making fossils easier to spot on the foreshore.
• Less sand – winter seas tend to wash away a lot of the finer beach sediment, leaving more of the fossiliferous pebbles, cobbles and boulders behind.
• No competition – not many other people will bother going out!
• More time with an expert– winter tour groups are usually smaller than summer ones, meaning you’ve got more time to talk to your trip leader.

Why Runswick?

Runswick is not only one of the country’s most beautiful bays, but also one of its most fossil-prolific. The Early Jurassic rocks that make up the cliffs to the north and east of the village yield ammonites, belemnites, bivalves, fossil wood, marine reptile bones, and plenty more. But that’s not all. You can also find erratic fossils in the shingle, which have washed out of the Ice Age clays in the middle of the bay. Some of them have come from as far away as northern Scotland.

Runswick is also accessible and family-friendly. Yes, the road down to the beach is extremely steep (whether you traverse it on foot or by car) but once you’re down in the village there’s a cafe and public toilets and it’s pretty straightforward (and step-free) to get onto the beach. This is true of surprisingly few Yorkshire Coast locations.

Why Fossiliam?

I’m going to admit straightaway that there are many Yorkshire Coast fossil-hunters who are better at finding fossils than I am. If you’re hoping for a good haul of ammonite nodules or a lovely bone block you’re better off going out with Byron or Steve or Mark.

I’m not completely useless though, and I do have over 20 years’ experience as a geologist, palaeontologist, educator and tour guide. This includes leading many, many trips to Runswick Bay, for universities, geology groups, and the public. Most relevantly, I have spent the last decade or so investigating the Early Jurassic rocks of Runswick Bay, and publishing scientific research papers on them. I’ve even got an ongoing Runswick research project that people joining my tours can help with.

So yes, you really should come out on the Yorkshire Coast, in February, with me!