Conditions guidance only. Cliffs are dangerous — never dig in or stand near them. Check tide times locally and tell someone where you're going. Safety page

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Lavernock Point

South Wales

Today at Lavernock Point

Fair
Leave beach by3:30pmthe tide will cut off your route back
Safe window12:30pm – 3:30pm
Tide nowRising ↑ until 8:40pm
Low tide2:30pm (1.3 m)
Wind & sea36 km/h · 0.5 m waves

Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.

A big 1.3 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.

safe window Low 1.3m 2:30pm High 12.0m 8:40pm 6ammidday6pm
Today's tide at Lavernock Point — heights in metres above chart datum. Guidance only: check the official tide table locally.
Wed 15 Fair 1.3 m Thu 16 Fair 1.1 m Fri 17 Fair 0.9 m Sat 18 Fair 1.1 m Sun 19 Fair 1.4 m Mon 20 Quiet 2.0 m Tue 21 Quiet 2.6 m

Next 7 days

Wednesday 15 July

Fair

Safe window: 12:30pm – 3:30pm

Leave the beach by 3:30pm — the tide will cut off your route back.

Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.

A big 1.3 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.

Low tide: 2:30pm (1.3 m) · Wind up to 36 km/h · Waves 0.5 m

Thursday 16 July

Fair

Safe window: 1:19pm – 4:19pm

Leave the beach by 4:19pm — the tide will cut off your route back.

Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.

A big 1.1 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.

Low tide: 2:59am (1.0 m), 3:19pm (1.1 m) · Wind up to 26 km/h · Waves 0.4 m

Friday 17 July

Fair

Safe window: 4:32am – 4:46am

Leave the beach by 4:46am — the tide will cut off your route back.

Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.

A big 0.9 m low tide falls first thing. Daylight cuts the collecting window to under 45 minutes, so don't plan a long session.

Low tide: 3:46am (0.9 m), 4:04pm (1.1 m) · Wind up to 17 km/h · Waves 0.2 m

Saturday 18 July

Fair

Safe window: 4:34am – 5:31am

Leave the beach by 5:31am — the tide will cut off your route back.

Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.

A big 1.1 m low tide falls first thing.

Low tide: 4:31am (1.1 m), 4:48pm (1.3 m) · Wind up to 17 km/h · Waves 0.3 m

Sunday 19 July

Fair

Safe window: 4:35am – 6:13am

Leave the beach by 6:13am — the tide will cut off your route back.

Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.

A big 1.4 m low tide falls first thing.

Low tide: 5:13am (1.4 m), 5:30pm (1.8 m) · Wind up to 19 km/h · Waves 0.4 m

Monday 20 July

Quiet day

Safe window: 4:37am – 6:54am

Leave the beach by 6:54am — the tide will cut off your route back.

Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.

Low tide: 5:54am (2.0 m), 6:11pm (2.3 m) · Wind up to 17 km/h · Waves 0.3 m

Tuesday 21 July

Quiet day

Safe window: 4:38am – 7:36am

Leave the beach by 7:36am — the tide will cut off your route back.

Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.

Low tide: 6:36am (2.6 m), 6:54pm (2.9 m) · Wind up to 16 km/h · Waves 0.3 m

Where to look

Boulder-hop at low water and check every flat slab — large ammonite impressions are the classic find. The bone bed at the point occasionally yields dark, polished fragments in the loose gravel; anything still in rock stays.

What fossils look like here

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.

Can I take fossils home?

Detailed location guide at UK Fossils →

Know before you go

Parking

Small lay-by parking near St Lawrence church, Lavernock.

Facilities

None — nearest facilities in Penarth or Sully.

Access

Footpath and steps down to a rocky shore; boulder-hopping required.

Hazards

Very fast rising tide across flat ledges — plan around low water and leave early. Unstable low cliffs; slippery bedrock.