Faoilean, Skye, fossils and fossil collecting

From Torrin follow the B8083 road around the top of the loch and along the other side until you see some boats and a couple of houses on your left hand side.
Carry on a little while longer until you reach a layby from which you can see a red sign raised above the beach. Park here.
There are various routes down to the beach, some easier than others but you will probably just have to make your way through a bit of undergrowth to access it.
Once on the beach walk to your left and right looking for fossils.

GRID REF: 57.20860°N, 6.03253°W

Ammonites, belemnites, large bivalves, brachiopods and gastropods can be found.

A location which is worth stopping off at for an hour on the way to Elgol, belemnite fossils can be found at this location. A few rocks contain bivalves. Some sandstone outcrops also contain fossils..

Low

Belemnite fossils are found in sandstone outcrops as well as in smaller sandstone pebbles and cobbles. Fossils are not abundant but some should be found none-the-less.

Suitable for Children

Cars can be parked right next to the beach here and when on the beach there are no large boulders or perilous obstacles to overcome.

Good Access

Although cars are parked in a layby only a few meters from the beach, it is a bit of a scramble through vegetation to get down to it. Once on the beach you can walk North or South unimpeded.

Foreshore

Fossils can be found in the cobbles and pebbles that make up the beach and also within sandstone outcrops.

No Restrictions

There are no restrictions at this location.

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.

This is a fairly safe location. There is no chance of being cut off by a rising tide and there are no serious obstacles to overcome. Mobile phone signals may be lost however, so make sure you tell someone where you have gone and what time you expect to return.

Last updated:	2011
last visited:	2007
Written by:	Joe Shimmin

Other Locations similar to Faoilean

There are a range of Jurassic Coastal sites in Scotland either on Skye or the North East Mainland especially near Brora which have been caused by the Helmsdale Fault. Other locations near to Helmsdale that are featured on UK Fossils are, Crakaig, Golspie, Portgower, Kintradwell, Lothbeg, Brora River, Balintore,Eathie and Brora Foreshore. Other locations on the isle of Skye include the popular Glasnakille Bearreraig Bay, Faoilean, Hallaig, Camustianavaig, Ardnish Point, Kilmarie and Elgol

Big hammer, the rocks here are large and very hard. Some smaller rocks can be found but at least a lump hammer is required, we took a sledge hammer.


The most spectacular bivalve-packed rocks are seen at the base of the cliff towards the North of the bay. To find smaller blocks containing these fossils search through the cobbles and pebbles in front of this area. Trace fossils on bedding planes can also sometimes be seen around here. If you carry onwards from this bay you may see fossil dehydration cracks on some bedding planes. Belemnites can be found further along the coast in large sandstone boulders and a little further along still a few Ammonites may be encountered on similar sandstone boulders. Within sandstone cobbles and pebbles occasional Belemnite pieces will be found. A few rocks contain bivalves. Some sandstone outcrops also contain fossils. There are plenty of volcanic rocks on this beach as well as fossiliferous sandstone. Unfortunately at first glance some of them can look as if they contain fossils. It can take a while to ‘get your eye in’ and avoid these rocks.

	Jurassic, 177mya
The rocks at Faoilean are Bajocian and Aalenian age. The Bearreraig Sandstone Formation covers both stages with the Aalenian stage sub-divided into the Druim an Fhuarain Sandstone Member. It is this which most of the fossils from Faoilean come from....[more] Belemnites within the Druim an Fhuarain Sandstone Member


Belemnites in rock...[more]

Stone Tumblers

Microscopes

Fossil Tools

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.

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.

We are your market leader for Fossil Supplies and Fossil Equipment. Suppling Retail, Education and Trade in the UK, Europe and beyond. UKGE Online Store sells equipment worldwide.

We sell a wide range of geological hammers and geological picks as well as fossil tools, starter packs and geological chisels. UKGE is your geological superstore, selling a wide range of field equipment, rocks, minerals, fossils, geological and even microscopy!