Ardwell Bay fossils and fossil collecting |
Older Children
The rocky foreshore makes this location only suitable for older children. Since you need to split rocks to find fossils, an adult should help with the splitting, and the child should only help search in the shale from the split rock. |
Very Good Access
Along the A77, there is plenty of parking. You can either park just before the houses at Ardwell, or just after in small laybys. You need to search the rocks at the Southern end of Ardwell Bay. |
Foreshore Rocks
Fossils are found in the flaggy beds exposed on the foreshore. Most of these are vertical and so can be easily split. The fossiliferious rocks are folded into a series of cascading folds and appear black from a distance and when weathered. |
No Restrictions
There are no restrictions at this location, but please follow the Scottish Fossil Code below, and also our own UK Fossils Code of Conduct. |
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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Ardwell Bay is usually a fairly safe area, although the tide reaches the small embankment, this can easily be climbed and it is not possible to be cut off here. The rocks can be quite hard so care should be taken when using sharp tools. |
| Last updated: |
2008 |
| last visited: |
2008 |
| Written by: |
Alister and Alison Cruickshanks |
 
Geological Tools
A hammer and splitting chisel is essential, but the best tool is an Estwing Pointed Pry Bar. This will make your work very easy and you can find fossils quickly. We sell these on our UKGE website.
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Ardwell Bay is one of a few locations nearby which are all quite similar. The Girvan guide covers the rocks at Shallock, the Woodland Bay guide covers rocks South of Shallock up to Whitehouse and we also feature the beds at Kennedy's Pass. There are many locations to visit including Glenmard Wood, and Ladyburn.
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From a distance, at the South end of the Bay at Ardwell, the rocks appear 'black'. On closer examination, these rocks look almost chargrilled! The black colour is actually the Ardwell Formation which has been weathered.
Even if you cannot find these rocks, if for instance they are wet, then the second clue is the position of these rocks. They are vertical with cascading folds (See below under the geological guide section).
It should therefore be easy to find them, and one you have, all you need is a hammer and chisel, or better, an Estwing Pointed Pry Bar, and start splitting. Although they are hard rocks, the shale is fine layered, so should be easy once you get going.
The most common finds are Graptolites, most of the rocks will contain these, but other beds can yield Orthocone fragments, brachiopods and if you are lucky, trilobites. Generally fossils are in the same rock type, so if you find one Orthocone fragment, there should be many more in that same rock.
Flaggy beds exposed on foreshore
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Ordovician, 450mya |
At Ardwell shore, Fine flaggy sandstones, with dark greenish grey siltstones and silty mudstones with sandstone laminae are seen. Some of these beds are thin bed with lenses of coarse sandstones and pebble conglomerate. This strata is folded into a series of cascade folds. It appear black when weathered and belongs to the Ardwell Formation, Ordovician age. This formation is up to 1000m thick at Ardwell Bay.
Ardwell Formation - Seen folded into a series of cascade folds
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Related Books |
Microscopes |
Geological Supplies |
The best guide available for this area is the small booklet on Girvan published by the Geological Survey and available from our online store. It is a sheet explanation and covers the geological formations around Girvan in great detail, along with the fossils found and further locations not featured on this website.
Click here for this book.
The standard geological map of Girvan is also an excellent buy showing you exactly where the best beds are, and is related to from the sheet explanation.
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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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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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Ardwell Bay is along the A77, south of Girvan. 
