South Wales · Directions ↗
Today at Llantwit Major (Col-huw)
FairBig tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: Heavy rain in the last two days may have washed fresh material out of the cliffs. A big 0.9 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
Safe window: 1:58pm – 4:58pm
Leave the beach by 4:58pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: Heavy rain in the last two days may have washed fresh material out of the cliffs. A big 0.9 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
19° · overcast · 2mm rain · Low tide: 3:58pm (0.9 m) · Wind up to 32 km/h · Waves 1.4 m
Safe window: 2:40pm – 5:40pm
Leave the beach by 5:40pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: A big 1.1 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
20° · mostly clear · Low tide: 4:20am (1.0 m), 4:40pm (1.1 m) · Wind up to 32 km/h · Waves 1.4 m
No safe daylight window
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: Winds gusting around 75 km/h forecast — not a day to be under cliffs.
20° · overcast · Low tide: 5:05am (1.2 m), 5:33pm (1.4 m) · Wind up to 42 km/h · Waves 2.2 m
Safe window: 5:59am – 7:06am
Leave the beach by 7:06am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: A recent westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one.
18° · overcast · Low tide: 6:06am (1.5 m), 6:48pm (1.6 m) · Wind up to 10 km/h · Waves 1.2 m
Safe window: 6:14pm – 8:26pm
Leave the beach by 8:26pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: A recent westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. Low tide falls towards evening, though it is not an especially big one.
23° · clear · 2mm rain · Low tide: 7:25am (1.7 m), 8:14pm (1.7 m) · Wind up to 23 km/h · Waves 0.8 m
Safe window: 7:40pm – 8:24pm
Leave the beach by 8:24pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: A recent westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. A big 1.5 m low tide falls towards evening. Daylight cuts the collecting window to under 45 minutes, so don't plan a long session.
19° · overcast · Low tide: 8:51am (1.7 m), 9:40pm (1.5 m) · Wind up to 26 km/h · Waves 0.9 m
No safe daylight window
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: Rough seas with big waves forecast — stay off the beach today.
18° · drizzle · 20mm rain · Low tide: 10:09am (1.4 m), 10:54pm (1.1 m) · Wind up to 42 km/h · Waves 4.0 m
Work the boulder beach either side of Col-huw Point on a falling tide. Freshly fallen Lias blocks carry crisp ammonites and oysters — search the recent falls from a safe distance out, where the sea has already spread them.
Ammonite impressions here can be dinner-plate size, showing as coiled ridges on fallen grey-blue slabs. 'Devil's toenails' (Gryphaea) are thick, curved oyster shells lying loose in the gravel. Free identification: photograph your find for the enquiry service at Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Cardiff.
This coast is a protected site (SSSI). What does that mean?
Allowed: Loose fossils from the beach and foreshore may be kept for personal collections.
Never allowed: No hammering or digging into the cliffs or the wave-cut ledges anywhere on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast.
Important finds: Report significant finds (this coast produced the Welsh dinosaur Dracoraptor) to Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Cardiff.
Rules can change — check locally before you collect.
Detailed location guide at UK Fossils →
Car park at Col-huw beach at the end of Beach Road.
Seasonal café and toilets at the beach.
Flat access from the car park onto boulders and ledges.
The Liassic cliffs here collapse in large slabs — never sit or shelter below them. Fast tides over wide ledges can cut you off in both directions.
Fossil Forecast