Sea Glass Hunting

My Beach Recommendations

Most of the holidays I go on are in Pembrokeshire, north Wales or north Devon, so my beach recommendations are pretty limited to those areas. However, there are a number of UK sea glass hunting groups on Facebook that are really useful. You can search for previous posts about the area you’re pretty much guaranteed to find lots of posts and comments suggestion the best beaches, as well as other important info like where to park, and where specifically is good on the beach.

Hunting for sea glass has become a favourite hobby (or addiction!) of mine and my mums! It’s particularly good if you’re in the UK, where the sun isn’t guaranteed on your holiday, but you still want to go to the beach whatever the weather. All of my friends and family now look out for sea glass on their travels, and those that are successful tell me that once they started they couldn’t stop, and my mum says that she finds it very mindful. I don’t find walking particularly fun, unless there’s a café or pub at the end of it, but if there’s the chance of finding some sea glass I’m the first one out of the door!

I’m often asked how I find so much, where the best beaches are, and where on the beach I find it, so I thought I’d create a page to answer all the questions I’m asked most often, and a few tips so that you can find some yourself.

IMPORTANT

Please make sure you check tide times whenever you go to a beach. This is particularly important when sea glass hunting because you need to go when the tide is out and the beach is exposed. It’s easy, and very dangerous, to get caught out if you don’t know when the tide is going to turn. I like to use an app called Tide Times, but you can also just Google the beach/area and the date you’re going. It’s important to remember that the sea can come in very quickly in some places and it can catch you off guard.

Where to find good beaches

Generally speaking, the best areas are those with history. Seaham is particularly famous for its sea glass, due to the bottleworks that was there in the late 1800s and early 1900s, which at the time was the biggest in Britain. Any waste glass was thrown over the cliff straight into the sea, which we’re still seeing the results of today, even though the factory stopped operating in 1921. A lot of the sea glass there is too small to do anything with, but you are significantly more likely to find rare colours, as well as multi coloured pieces, so I think it’s still worth a trip! Any area with a history of industry is likely to have a fair amount of sea glass in the area, and I’ve found that estuaries are particularly good for that reason.

Which part of the beach is best?

The shingle (stoney) part of beaches is where you want to be searching rather than sand. The size of the stones in the bit you’re looking at is a good indication of the size of sea glass you’ll find, as they’ll be similar. However, if the beach has a pier then it’s worth walking along the sand under it, as pieces can gather around the structure.

Technique

When searching, you can either walk along the shingle looking for anything on the surface, or dig down in one spot. Generally, neither technique is better than the other, it depends on the beach you’re on, or which you prefer. I like to try both for 10 minutes, then do whichever was most successful for a while, then when I’m starting to get bored/achy I switch again. Mum has back issues from a couple of slipped discs, so she prefers walking to digging hunched over, whereas I prefer to sit or lie down and dig if it’s a nice day and the shingle isn’t wet.

Your favourite beach may be great for sea glass, but you just don't know it! This is a photo of baby Beth on a beach I've been to almost every year for my whole life, and my mum has been going to for almost her whole life. Neither of us had ever noticed sea glass, but when we stopped to actually have a look in 2021, we realised it was one of the best we'd ever been to!

South Wales

- Dale

- Milford Haven area

- Wisemans Bridge (though mostly because there’s a pub right there https://www.wisemansbridgeinn.co.uk)

North Wales

- Conwy area

- Llandudno

Misc.

- Seaham

- Other side of the estuary to Salcombe

- Shell Island in North Wales is meant to be good, but I've never been as parking is so expensive!

South West

- Clevedon area

- Portishead area

- Hele Bay

- Barricane Beach

Summery

- Estuaries are generally pretty good

- Aim for places with a history of industry

- On the beach, look for areas of shingle

- Areas around structures like piers are likely to trap shells and sea glass even if it's sandy