Rigg, fossils and fossil collecting

Take the A855 road from Portree to Staffin/Uig.
10 Miles from Portree, a single house sits on the left hand side on the bend of the road at Rigg. It looks down on a small valley with a meandering river through its length.
Parking is opposite the house, but do not block access to land via a track way
This is a longish walk over often boggy ground and along a cliff top trail. Very rough boulder-strewn shoreline at places. Not for the young or unfit.

GRID REF: NG 52070 56925

Ammonites, plants, belemnites, molluscs
and possible marine bone fragments.

A very dramatic location, Rigg is one of the least visited locations on Skye. The reason being this location is for the experienced collector. It has a fascinating coastline of shelving middle Jurassic sediments. Rich in fossils, archaeology and local wildlife, Rigg is one of these places where safety and common sense must prevail.

High

There are lots of fossils to be found and photographed. You can find anything from ammonites to plants, molluscs and even marine bones of reptiles.

Not for Children

This is a longish walk over often boggy ground and along a cliff top trail. Very rough boulder-strewn shoreline at places. Not for the young or unfit.

Difficult Access

Cross the fence and follow the valley immediately in front and drop down past a well defined settlement.. 4 stars. Head towards the coastline over a flat field. Stay this side of the fence and head to your left, or North. Cross the wooded burn and hook up with the sheep trails. Stay up on the higher trails and you will see an old Salmon station bothy with its chimney. Here you can come back down and take the path down to the shoreline, and the large rock fall.

Foreshore

On a receding low forecast tide, you can travel along the base of the cliffs (not too close) where sedimentary layers of middle Jurassic strata are dominant. Loose boulders and rocks are available for looking at most of the way along.

SSSI

SSSI restrictions and you must obey the Scottish geological codes.

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.

Avoid the wet slippery lower shoreline where possible. Take your time to avoid twisted ankles. When you reach impassable gullies, it is time to head back along, or take the poachers path in one of the small bays. This will show 200 yards from the 'Tarzan Waterfall'. Care must be taken here. This not the place for a solitary field trip, so have friendly company with the same good fitness levels.

Last updated:	2012
last visited:	2012
Written by:	Anthony Rybak


Including where are the best fossils found, where to look, detailing of any fossils found or what has been found in the past. Any particular zones/beds that are worth looking into. This is amongst the most dramatic location for fossils on Skye, yet it has to be one of the most awkward locations to cover properly. Low tides and decent weather is the best approach her. As far a fossils go on Skye, there are huge steinkern and belemnites all along the cliffs and bedrock, and a safe trip can be the most rewarding of Skye fossil trips.

Jurassic, 185mya

The sequence at Rigg is represented by the Upper Lias and the Inferior Oolites. The fossils are large and in numbers with the Humphraesian zone dominating the fossil finds though there are many sub-zones being exposed as well. Witchellia zone, Sauzi zone and Concava zonal fossils can be found. The strata consists of ledged sandstones and limestone’s, with undercutting of the cliffs at various points. Loose rocks are abundant for investigation. Huge ammonites and Belemnites are abundant. Oysters, vegetation and crinoidal stems are also frequent. Low tide reveals large stepped bedrock areas which are also fossiliferous.

For possible guided walks by a local expert to this and any of the other Skye locations, e-mail anthonyrybak321@btinternet.com, or phone
01471 822640.....[more]

Flattened sandstone varieties of Stephenoceras.

Belemnite megatethis.

Large mallet of at least 4lbs and a bolster chisel will suffice. Phone reception is dodgy at best. We take walkie talkies for safety.

Other Locations similar to Rigg

There are a range of Jurassic Coastal sites in Scotland either on Skye or the North East Mainland especially near Brora which have been caused by the Helmsdale Fault. Other locations near to Helmsdale that are featured on UK Fossils are, Crakaig, Golspie, Portgower, Kintradwell, Lothbeg, Brora River, Balintore,Eathie and Brora Foreshore. Other locations on the isle of Skye include the popular Glasnakille Bearreraig Bay, Faoilean, Hallaig, Camustianavaig, Ardnish Point, Kilmarie and Elgol

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.

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!