Crickley Hill fossils and fossil collecting |
 Crickley Hilll is part of a national country park, and geological trail. From the A436, immediately after the roundabout (if travelling from the West), you will see a signpost to the Crickley Hilll Country Park. Follow this road. Shortly after the turnoff, another road will turn off to the left also signposted to the Crickley Hilll Country Park
You will arrive at a large car park with a visitor centre. Walk past the visitor centre and just before the road that goes down to the lower part of the car park, there is a gate with different trail colour banding. Take this gate and follow the path round.
The footpath will come to an open area. Walk across the open area all the way in the same direction until you reach the wall. Here, you can find a suitable area to descent, or follow the wall to the right.
Grid Ref: 51.84474°N, 2.10333°W |
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Low
Since this site is over 100 years old, part of an official trail that is over picked by collectors, the chance of finding good fossils is low.
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Not for Children
The site has steep sides, and access is difficult. The actual country park is suitable for children, but not for collecting fossils, especially this quarry. |
Poor Access
The Country Park is easy to find, but this quarry is both, not so easy to find, and difficult to access, in spite of being part of the official geological trail. Toilets, a visitor centre and large car park are all on site. |
Disused Quarry
This is a disused quarry, actually over 100 years old now, fossils can be found in the scree slopes. |
SSSI
This site is an SSSI, you can collect fossils, but only from the scree. DO NOT hammer the bedrock, this is to preserve the site for future generations. |
The quarry is along the edge of a hill with steep sides. Access to the main part of the quarry is by climbing over a wall and descending steep slopes. This site is therefore ONLY for experienced walkers. Take extreme care, and do not visit when the rocks are wet as this will make the descent too dangerous.
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| Last updated: |
2010 |
| last visited: |
2010 |
| Written by: |
Alister and Alison Cruickshanks |
 
All you need is a good eye, this site is an SSSI, so you can only collect from the scree slopes. A pick might be handy to split any material in the scree slopes, and paper to wrap your finds.
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Locations similar to Crickley Hill
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At Crickley Hill, an official geological trail will take you through the Birdlip Limestone, looking at the Lower Limestone, Lower Freestone, Scissium Beds and of particular interest, the Pea Grit. There are nine sites along the route, most referring to geological features rather than giving a chance to collect fossils. The last site, number 9 along the trail, gives chance to collect fossils from the Pea Grit, and it is this that this guide concentrates on.
The Pea Grit, is extremely fossiliferious, and contains echinoids, brachiopods, bivalves and corals. These can all be found at the Pea Grit Quarry. The quarry is now over 100 years old, and mostly overgrown. However, since the quarry was quite large, there are still faces and scree to search through.
The problem with this site, is that the actual quarry is difficult to access. Once you arrive at the side, you will notice a wall running around the edge of the hill, over this wall is the quarry. You have to descend down the hill, over the wall to get to the beds. This is not easy, and it can be both steep and dangerous. There is an alternative site, follow the wall around to the right, and where the wall ends, you will find some scree slopes and outcrops along the south east of the hill. These are much easier to access, but are not anywhere near as productive as the main quarry.
Since this site is now over 100 years, and part of an official trail, it has been picked over by so many collectors. Being also overgrown, today, it is uncommon to find any good fossils at this site. Having said that, complete echinoids and brachiopods do turn up.
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Jurassic, 180mya |
The lower Lias at Crickley Hill.
This old quarry, now over 100 years old was once worked by hand to supply stone for walling and road mending. The quarry cuts through the Pea Grit (Crickley Member) and runs up into the base of the Lower Freestone (Cleeve Cloud Member). These are part of the Birdlip Limestone Formation (Inferior Oolite Group), which is Middle Jurassic in age.....[more]
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Brachiopods are common at Crickley Hill...[more]
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Crickley Hill
Geological Guide
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Geology Explained in the Severn Vale |
Geological Supplies |
 This official booklet, covers the full geological guide to Crickley Hill. Looking at nine sites of geological interest to the area covering the full scope of geology. It includes this quarry, with plenty of information on the the whole area. There are maps and geological diagrams included in this booklet. The booklets are available from our own store at UKGE.
Free UK Delivery. BK0581: £1.95. Click to buy
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 This classic book explains the geology in the Severn Vale and Cotswolds including locations to visit, fossils to find and is full of excellent diagrams and drawings. It has an excellent chapter on Crickley Hill, including other locations in Gloucestershire nearby, such as Leckhampton Hill. The book also covers many locations along the River Severn, including Aust, Hock Cliff, Sedbury and Wainlode.
FREE UK DELIVERY - Click to buy
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UKGE, the owners of UK Fossils, are your market leader for Geological Supplies and Geology Equipment. Suppling Retail, Education and Trade in the UK, Europe and beyond.
We sell a wide range of geological hammer 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! |
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