Waterloo, fossils and fossil collecting |
Medium
Waterloo and Breakish is best visited from mid-low tide. Fossils can be frequent with various horizons exposed at places. Loose rocks and broken bedrock can be easily split, however the ammonites are much harder to remove as they are often found in hard baked sediment. |
Suitable for Children
This is an excellent place for the family, offering stunning views, wildlife and fossils. Broadford is nearby for provisions. Good child friendly location. |
Good Access
There is a few tiny lay-bys’ on the road along Waterloo to park. Just ensure you do not block any entrances. This is a shortest walk for Skye, and a gate and path lead the way. 3 stars |
Cliff, Foreshore
Fossils can be found in the broken slabs of bedrock and in loose rocks. The bedrock often overlies softer lenses of clay shale, and these huge weathered slabs contain ammonites, worn corals from the Ob Lusa coral bed. Loose slabs can be opened up with the mallet, and often huge bivalves are exposed |
SSSI
This is an SSSI. There are no restrictions to visit this area, but you must not hammer the bedrock |
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.
Good all round visibility to help see incoming tides. No need to wander too low into the slippery weed covered rock territory. |
| Last updated: |
2011 |
| last visited: |
2011 |
| Written by: |
Anthony Rybak |
Other Locations similar to Waterloo
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Waterloo and Breakish can have a good array of fossils for a small area. Although there are also small ammonites in tiny pockets, they are very hard to remove from the baked bedrock they reside. However there are huge psuedopecten and other bivalves. Loose Gryphaea arcuata that have been washed out from the thick Gryphaea beds are also exposed at various places.
The bedrock often overlies softer lenses of clay shale, and these huge weathered slabs contain ammonites, worn corals from the Ob Lusa coral bed. Loose slabs can be opened up with the mallet, and often huge bivalves are exposed. Restrain from hacking into the main bedrock. It is not necessary.
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Jurassic, 192mya |
Breakish rocks are from the Pliensbachian Stage of the Lower Jurassic period. The clay shale and harder limestones are visable over most of the shore. The clay shale is part of the Pabbay Shale Formation and corresponds with the Ob lusa coral bed, Hallaig waterfall on Rassay and Ardnish point, a little further south from Waterloo. ....[more]
Lots of weathered gryphaea
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Wellies are best and a 4lb mallet, cold chisel and bolster can be useful. Phone reception should be ok here.
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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.
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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! |
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Take the A87 for Broadford. 
