"Whilst any good ironmonger can supply cold chisels and strong knives or trowels, he is very unlikely to have safe and suitable hammers in stock. The steel of ordinary domestic and many trade hammers is far too soft for use on most rocks. It will splinter and flying fragments of steel can cause nasty wounds, particularly to the eyes, not only of the hammerer but also of his companions." Fossils in Colour - 1967 - J.F. Kirkaldy, D.Sc. Formally Head of the Department of Geology, Queen Mary College London.

West Runton rarely scours, but when she does beautiful mollousc shell beds can be seen and bones washed up. The problem is you never know when you will be prepared, therefore we recommend the following.

Picks: Very handy for West Runton and recommended for collecting from the Forest Bed and soft chalk on the foreshore.

Knives: Some of the fossils are very small and fragile, you can use a knife to pick these out from the bed, or pick fossils out from the foreshore chalk.

Endecotts Sieves: The best fossils can be collected from wet sieving onsite or by taking back samples for sieving at home (either dry or wet). Endecott Sieves are the best test sieves in the world and will last you years.

Field Lenses: Very handy to identify any small fossils which sometimes will require a magnifying lenses. It is not always possible to tell very small objects with normal eyesight. The most common type is the 10x.

Specimen Bags: These are ideal for West Runton, expecially for taking back samples. Sealable Clear Specimen Bags can hold your finds. These can be purchased from UKGE for low prices and can easily be re-used.

Geological Bags: Strong, Waterproof and durable geological bags that last years are ideal for any keen fossil hunter. These quality bags from Estwing are ideal for bringing back those sample bags.

Footwear: Hiking Boots are usually ideal for West Runton.