Collecting Fossils at Achanarras Quarry and an Access Notice

Collecting Fossils at Achanarras Quarry

Achanarras Quarry is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and internationally renowned for its fossil fish. The quarry is owned and managed by NatureScot.

• Fossil collecting must be conducted in a responsible manner and follow the Scottish Fossil Code. As such, fossils should not be sold unless you have written permission from NatureScot, the landowner of this site.
• As owners of the site we give permission for collectors to remove a maximum of 10 specimens per day. A specimen is a piece of rock with fossil remains. This permission covers a maximum of 7 days only.
• Anyone wishing to collect for longer than 7 days should contact us to request permission (e-mailing us at [email protected]). To collect for a longer period, you must provide us with evidence of your research work (amateur or academic) and that you are donating fossil material to a museum or university. 
• To help protect the site, collect only from loose material. Spoil heaps on the site are regularly turned over to improve the chances of new finds being made
• Appropriate tools include purpose-made rock hammers and chisels. The use of power tools, sledge hammers and crowbars is not permitted. 
• Do not excavate or remove flagstone from any areas of bedrock on the quarry floor or quarry faces. 
• Please let us know if you find any rare or particularly fine fossils. You should also consider offering the specimen to a museum so that other people may enjoy and appreciate it and help raise awareness of the evolution of fish.

Fossils that have been found on site:

Common Species

• Dipterus
• Coccosteus
• Pterichthyodes
• Palaeospondylus
• Mseacanthus
• Small Diplacanthus

Scarcer Species

• Glyptolepis
• Cheiracanthus
• Large Diplacanthus
• Cheirolepis
• Osteolepis
• Achanarella

Rare Species

• Rare Species
• Cornovichthys
• Homosteus
• Rhamphodopsis

Achanarras Quarry Access Notice

NatureScot hopes that you have an enjoyable visit to Achanarras Quarry. Please follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code at all times. The safety of visitors to Achanarras Quarry is important, particularly at a site where there are potential hazards associated with looking for fossils. We would urge you to read this notice in the interests of your own safety.

• All vehicles should have been parked in the car park at the bottom of the track. 
• Pedestrian access to the site is along a farm track. Please remember to leave all gates as you find them and do not disturb any livestock in the surrounding fields.
• Part of the quarry is flooded, so for your own safety, please keep away from the water’s edge. A fence and warning signs have been installed at the most hazardous locations. 
• Some of the slopes on the site are steep or unstable and are best avoided for your own safety. Please respect the warning signs.
• The site is exposed and rough underfoot. As a result, we recommend you wear appropriate clothing (such as warm and waterproof clothing) and stout footwear (preferably with steel toecaps).
• Head protection and goggles for eye protection must be worn when hammering rock. Please be careful splitting flagstones in case others are nearby. Flying stone chips can be dangerous. 
• We also recommend that protective gloves are worn.
• In the event of a fire, please make your way calmly back to the fire rendezvous point which is at the car park at the bottom of the access track.