Haddington fossils and fossil collecting |
Medium
It can take a short time to get the eye in, but there are lots of fossils lying all over. A shower of rain can help the fossiliferous rocks stand out from the cherts, quartz and volcanic pebbles. |
River
Except for a small exposure of bedrock packed with carboniferous Bivalves, the best places for fossils are from the loose stones and roundish pebbles built up on the bends in the river and below the weir itself. Wellies allow you to cross over. |
No Restrictions
There are no restrictions at this site, hammering and collecting is permitted. However we ask that you follow our fossil code of conduct which can be found in the link below.
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If you collect fossils in Scotland, the advice on best practice in the collection and storage of fossil specimens, set out in the Scottish Fossil Code, applies to you. The Code may be viewed and downloaded from www.snh.org.uk/fossilcode.
 
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Haddington can be very boggy, especially during the winter and after heavy rain. Some areas have steep sides, please take extreme care and we recommend the use of hard hats and goggles. |
| Last updated: |
2011 |
| last visited: |
2011 |
| Written by: |
Anthony Rybak |
An ordinary sized geology hammer should suffice. Sometime freshly river-broken or worn specimens of brachiopod and corals do not need to be touched. Otherwise extraction can be a hit and miss affair.
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The best place can often be on the small island directly below the West Mill Weir. Regular spates often churn up the pebbles bringing new material. The shallow water around the island can often make eroded silicate fossil bearing rocks more obvious. Crinoids and various 'Productus' and 'Spirifier' brachiopods show up regularly. 'Lithostrotion' corals are common, and a few small 'Paladin Mucronatus' trlobites have been found, but they are rare. Spirol Gastropods are also around.
Downstream from the weir and fifty yards beyond the white bridge, the river cuts through a bedrock ledge containing a high density of Bivalves. I believe this mussel zone has not yet been coralated.
Stigmaria has been discovered upstream from the weir. This specimen was cleaved in half to reveal a very detailed internal core containing immature roots, yet to grow out from the main root system. Tree material still a possibility.
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Carboniferous |
The river Tyne cuts through carboniferous sedimentary rock at various places much further upstream, though there are very little exposures. However, a lot of fossil material finds its way downstream and can be found at many places where the river bends contain raised pebble banks. This mostly Skateraw Limestone. probably several stages of Visean stage.
Far shore shows sedimentary rocks
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Stone Tumblers |
Microscopes |
Test Sieves for Microfossils |
If you are interested in fossil collecting, then you may also be interested in a stone tumbler (Lapidary). You can polish stones and rocks from the beach which
will look fantastic polished using a stone tumbler.
You can polish rough rock and beach glass whilst collecting fossils, on those days where you come back empty handed.
These are all high quality machines to give a professional finish to your samples. They can even be used for amber and fossils.
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At most locations, you can find microfossils. You only need a small sample of the sand. You then need to wash it in water and sieve using a test sieve. Once the sand is processed, you can then view the contents using a microscope.
We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, you will need a Stereomicroscope for viewing microfossils. The best one we sell is the IMXZ, but a basic microscope will be fine. Once you have found microfossils, you will need to store these microfossils.
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Test Sieves are used when searching for microfossils. Microfossils can be found in many locations, and all you need is a small amount of sample such as clays, sands and shales, or if you have acid, limestone, oolite or chalk.
Our UKGE Store sells Endecotts Test Sieves, which are the highest in accuracy and extremely durable and long lasting. These Test Sieves are fantastic for microfossils. Endecotts Test Sieves come in a variety of sizes, frame material and types, they are certificated to EU Standards. |
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From the A1, regardless of direction, turn of for Haddington. 
