A rather artificial embayment on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, Wardie Bay lies between the breakwaters of Granton Harbour to the west and Newhaven and Leith harbours to the east, 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the centre of Edinburgh. The rocky foreshore is noted for its fossils, particularly fossilised fish preserved in iron-stone nodules within the shale. Fossils were known to be found here in Victorian times and Hugh Miller (1802-56) was one of many who sought material in the bay. This was also a location favoured by the collector Stan Wood (1939 - 2012), who began his career here. The National Museum of Scotland holds a large collection from Wardie Bay, some bought from Wood and many of which were new to science. In the Carboniferous Era (335 million years ago) this was a coastal lake giving rise to a mix of marine and non-marine fossils, together with plant fossils which are often quite large. The area is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
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