East Quantoxhead Beach

East Quantoxhead Beach is a sand and rock beach at the foot of the Quantock Hills on the Somerset coast, part of the Blue Anchor to Lilstock Coast SSSI and known for its dramatic rock formations and exceptional fossil hunting. The foreshore is a series of flat rock pavements, ridges and pools created by the erosion of tilted blue lias strata, giving the beach an almost lunar quality at low tide. The cliffs behind are unstable and actively eroding, which is partly what makes the fossil hunting so productive, with ammonites being the most common find. The setting is beautiful, with the wooded Quantock Hills rising immediately behind the coast.

Dogs are welcome year-round on this dog friendly beach with no restrictions. The rocky terrain and exposed foreshore provide excellent exploring ground for dogs that enjoy investigating rock pools and varied surfaces, though the slippery rocks require care in wet conditions. Parking is available in the church parking field in the village of East Quantoxhead for a small donation, and a footpath leads down to the beach, roughly half a mile. There are no facilities at the beach. The village itself is a quiet, attractive settlement with a medieval church and duck pond. Fossil extraction from the cliffs and bedrock is prohibited under the SSSI designation, but loose material on the beach can be examined.