Before the remaining five hour journal to Helmsdale, time for a second day of collecting in Fife. Today we visited Elie Shore. Normally, this is a superb location but sadly when we visited most of the beds were covered. The only remains of life we found was some poorly preserved plant material in a bed of Carboniferous Shale.

Under the right scouring conditions, the complete formation from the Neilson shell bed to the mild Kenny Limestone is exposed. To get to this location, drive down to the harbour at Elie shore and walk from the car park to the middle of the large bay, at low tide the rocks are exposed starting from the middle of the bay right round to Earlsferry.

Fossils that can normally be found are Brachiopods (Brachythyris ovalis), Gastropods (emuphemites urli, Reetispira striata, Straparollus carbonarius, Scaphods, dentalium). Bivalves (anthraconauta semicircular, cypricardella rectangularis, dunbarella sp, senilis, lithophage lingalis, parallodon semicostatus, pernopecten, sanguinolitesclavatus, plicactus, S. striatomellosus, schizodus sp, solenomorpha minor, streblochondria sp). Cephalopods (orthocone nautiloid), Ostrocods and Trilobite fragments. The sponge Hyyalostella parallela is also quite common.

So much to be found, but again as from our experience the beach conditions need to be right. The beds run horizontally, so the formations change as you go further down the beach, the hardest rocks are left well exposed running parallel across the beach with the softer beds covered with sand. It is these beds that are of interest with the harder beds badly covered by seaweed,

At the opposite end of the carpark is Woodhaven Bay, brachiopods, gastropods, bivalves and cephalopods also can be found but we sadly ran out of time to spend examining this location although we did have a quick look at the rocks, plenty of exposure but most of which is volcanic.

The main collecting starts tomorrow. Both of the two fife locations, Elie Sore and Kilkcaldy will be added during the coming months on UKF. There are so many locations to visit in fife, quarries and coastal exposures that a full week could easily be made here another time.