citronkitten Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 Pett Level Beach, Fairlight, Sussex, UK Lower Cretaceous, Wadhurst Clay Formation Sunday 19 May 2024 My daughter asked to visit a ‘rock beach’, so when checking around for time tides, Pett Level was the best option for the day we had free. We arrived perhaps two hours after high tide after a 2-hour drive from London. There was sufficient parking in the area, despite the carpark nearer to the access point being full. It’s an easy walk along the boardwalk from the second carpark, so this didn’t cause too much hassle. What was a bigger problem was the fact that the public toilets are closed for refurbishment and the café, which has customer toilets, had lost their key. Something to be aware of if anyone has plans to go in the near future! We walked along the boardwalk until we reached the cliffs before descending down to beach level. There are areas of pebbles and sand before you come to larger boulders and wave-cut platforms. Aqua shoes are a good option here as the pebbles are quite rough on bare feet and the boulders can be slippery when wet. As the tide went out there was a great deal of soft sand and grey clay (Unio Bed) exposed, although I wasn’t too sure of how to spot anything worthwhile, so didn’t spend a lot of time wandering in the muck. There were some folks catching crabs with apparent success, so that might be an activity for another visit. I walked along the cliffs amongst the boulders for a while looking for broken chunks of Cliff End Bone Bed and anything really that had impressions of the common Neomiodon bivalves. I kept a few pieces to break at home as my chisel hadn’t arrived in the mail yet. These fragments were fairly easy to find, although it remains to be seen if the pieces I picked up have any treasures locked away inside. Something to note was that there were clearly recent cliff falls, and I even heard some stone tumbling down when I was there, so it is important to follow the given advice to stay 8m away from the cliff. This may not be possible at all points, but very sensible as a general rule. We also found a number of pretty shells and discarded crab carapaces that my daughter (4yo) enjoyed playing with. The beach was very shallow and although the boulders were slippery where they were still wet, most of them dried out eventually and the wave-cut platform was flat enough for her to walk on by herself. I would highly recommend the beach itself for young children, although there is a distinct lack of nearby amenities. At the end of the day an ice cream truck did drive up to the access point, however, so that made for a great treat after an afternoon in the sun. Recommended Equipment: - aqua shoes - hammer - chisel - bag/Tupperware to store finds - mesh bag for shells - portable potty for kids - wellie boots if planning to search in the clay at low tide - trowel if planning to search in the clay at low tide We also brought spare clothes, a large picnic blanket (plenty of big rocks around to hold it down), sand toys, and plenty of snacks and drinks. Summary of finds: - Neomiodon shells - Trace fossils - 1 Lepidotes fish tooth extracted from a block of Cliff End Bone Bed - 1 TBD fossil in Cliff End Bone Bed - 1 TBD loose - possibly bone? dark brown, pitted/porous, but not sure if just a misleading rock - 2 unknowns As always, any correction/confirmation/clarification is welcome and appreciated. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notidanodon Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 I think you’ve got a nice fish jaw there (the palate) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citronkitten Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 10 hours ago, Notidanodon said: I think you’ve got a nice fish jaw there (the palate) Ah, fab! I was thinking something fishy (I assume you mean the tiny thing from the Cliff End Bone Bed), but wasn't sure enough to label it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balance Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Great report!! Love the kiddo wanted a “rock” beach to explore. Boogie boards do get boring quick. 😂😂. Jp 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patelinho7 Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 15 hours ago, Notidanodon said: I think you’ve got a nice fish jaw there (the palate) Which image are you referring to? Just curious, I’m not disagreeing I’m just having difficulty spotting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citronkitten Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 3 hours ago, Balance said: Great report!! Love the kiddo wanted a “rock” beach to explore. Boogie boards do get boring quick. 😂😂. Jp She had done quite a bit of digging and sandcastle building a couple weekends before, so this time she was up for some scrambling over bigger rocks and the wave-cut platform. I think that's what she meant, anyway...she seemed to enjoy the activities when we arrived in any case! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notidanodon Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 On 5/27/2024 at 1:30 PM, patelinho7 said: Which image are you referring to? Just curious, I’m not disagreeing I’m just having difficulty spotting it. This one 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now