Valtos, fossils and fossil collecting

From Portree, Head north out of the town and take the A855 To Staffin. After Culnaknock, there is a memorial stone and layby on the left hand side of the road, and just before the houses and high flat topped cliff at Valtos.
There is a small place to park for free at the memorial 100 yards before the gate and point of entry. This is quite a short easy descent to the shoreline, but here is where you need to take care over the huge boulders.
Due to the very rocky foreshore, we do not recommend this location for children.

GRID REF: 57.59391°N, 6.15972°W

Sharks teeth, fish scales and fragments, molluscs, fossil wood, theropod footprints.

Valtos has the dramatic landscape to match it's dramatic name. This is the place to see some of Skye's famous dinosaur footprints. As well as amazing trace fossils, these Bathonian upper jurassic sedimentary rocks have yielded dinosaur bones bones in the past, and they are on display in the Huntarian Museum in Glasgow.

Medium

Fossils are not in great numbers at Valtos with wood fragments and tiny bivalves available, but the dinosaur footprints are a joy to find and photograph. These are in huge boulders and should be left alone for others to enjoy. There is fish related fossils to be found, though it takes a trained eye to find them. The sedimentary layers and the fossils taper off the closer you get to the Kilt rock waterfall. Valtos is best visited during a low tide, even although the famous Dun Dearg rockfall is well of the high tide line, there is a small cliff where the tide may come in to play. (2 stars)

Not for Children

Like most of the Skye locations, they are not for the faint hearted. This is a tough terrain for small legs, and the Dun Dearg rock fall has a lot of huge blocks lying on a tilted incline. Kids best left out of this one. The closest cafe, shop and toilets are northwards in Staffin.

Poor Access

There is a small place to park for free at the memorial 100 yards before the gate and point of entry. This is quite a short easy descent to the shoreline, but here is where you need to take care over the huge boulders.

Foreshore

Look in and around the rock fall for bones, fish teeth and footprints. There are lots of rocks containing tiny bivalves loose, and on the wave cut platforms. This is not a place to be hitting into the cliff face.

SSSI

This is a SSSI site and the dinosaur material must not be removed. This is a place to visit for the thrill rather than expecting to find a huge amount of fossils. Footprints are quite common. You just have to look closely. There is the chance of fish fragments and teeth, and if they are in small loose rocks, they are better collected and studied rather than the fierce Skye seas destroy them.

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.

There is very slow erosion here, but a hard hat would be a safe option if you want to look close into the cliffs. Better on a low tide. Dun Dearg rock fall has lots of massive rocks lying at obscure angles, so great care should be taken clambering around on them.

Last updated:	2011
last visited:	2011
Written by:	Anthony Rybak


Skye has become famous for it's recent dinosaur related discoveries, and Valtos has provided most of them. Sauropod, and more commonly theropod footprints can be seen here once you get your eye in. These are very heavy and should not be attempted to remove. Leave them for others to marvel at. A huge rockfall several decades ago has brought down huge blocks of sandstone. The Dun Dearg rockfall has an array of trace fossils throughout, and a tooth and a tail bone from a coelophysis type dinosaur were also discovered. Huge sandstone concretions protrude from the cliffs to make this an amazing sequence of middle Jurassic rock. Take time to visit the Staffin museum a mile or so north of Valtos. Skye's dinosaur bones, footprints, ammonites and other amazing fossils can be seen here. Opening times are hit and a miss, but you can arrange for a visit. A personal guide by a local geologist who is very familiar with the site may be arranged. Contact Anthony Rybak. on 01471822640, mobile no. 07931512972, or e-mail anthonyrybak321@btinternet.com.

Jurassic, 185mya

The Valtos formation is of the Bathonian stage, and part of the Great Estuarine Group. Two phases of progradation occurs here, and the sandstone facies represents both deltaic and lagoonal coditions. There are two lenses exposed from the foot of the fall to the waterfall at Kilt Rock which contain a mass extinction of bivalves. These ocurr in massive numbers, but are quite soft and hard to retrieve.

This is a good place for trace fossils, and theropod footprints, ripple marks and wormcasts are common. The famous Dun Dearg rockfall provides hours of rock hopping amongst huge slabs of tumbled boulders. Vegetation can also be found. ....[more]

Fossil Ripple Marks


Theropod footprint..[more]

What are the best tools for the site, anything specific or anything recommended. If location is remote, sometimes it is worth mentioning mobile phones are recommended (if they can get a signal!) Struggling for a phone signal down here. Sharp cold chisel and 4lb hammer is about all you will need. Hard hat if you feel safer.

Other Locations similar to Valtos

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!