Salthill Quarry

A great little walk and well signposted, good if your children are into dinosaurs, fossil hunting and anything millions of years old, there are crinoids all over the place to collect. We'll signposted with interactive waymarkers to tell you all about the geological features.

Yes great for Crinoids, Lots of small flora also

Great place to find crinoids.

Worth a visit as the only place I know in Lancashire where children can find fossils just lying in the ground. The Nature Trail begins behind the limited parking on Lincoln Way, in front of the limestone cliff face. The trail is marked with QR code posts, 1 to 10, which provides more information but the route is otherwise not well marked. We took several wrong turnings. The trail lies either side of Lincoln Way and behind and to the side of the several industrial units there. The only interesting feature on the first part is a section of cliff up a few steps which allow a good view of the Crinoid fossils embedded in the rock. When the trail is about to open into a field, turn left past a dilapidated mosaic. Note the view of Pendle Hill through the trees. This path will eventually take you down to the busy road (where alternative parking beyond the double-yellow lines is available). Crossing the road carefully, climb the other side and pass a grassy embankment at the bottom corner of which is a placard with descriptions and the route marked. This will lead you to a larger sloping field of grass and Ricky outcrops. There’s a stone seating area at the top with some sculptures of the crinoid sea creatures (known as sea lilies) that were embedded in the mud of what used to be sea in this area! Near the rocks you will find small sections of crinoids just lying on the ground. They look rather like the rings on a worm’s body. The trail then leads upwards out of the field and alongside rock smoothed by glacier movement. The trail ends below, in front of a huge limestone cliff left behind by the former quarrying. Exit through the gate onto the roadway opposite the car park and starting point. It takes about an hour and can be muddy and slippery when wet. A good morning or afternoon visit. Children are excited to find and compare plant fossils that are millions of years old.