"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.

Covehithe 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: At Covehithe, the shell beds can be quite compacted, and it is often best to take a pick, especially useful for any bones in this bed or from the crag sands.

Trowels: Probably the best and most recommended tool for Covehithe, a trowel is extremely handy for all locations where crags yield fossils. Using a trowel you can pick out shells, or dig into the shell bed to extract larger shells or bones. Also handy for when taking samples. If you are planning on taking large samples back home for sieving, You may also like to take a shovel.

Knives: Some of the shells are very small and fragile, you can use a knife to pick these out from the bed, or slice around larger shells.

Endecotts Sieves: The best shells can be collected from either 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 molluscs or tiny mammal remains tiny 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 Covehithe, 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 or old trainers are usually fine for Covehithe because the shore is not rocky nor muddy