Important Safety & Logging Information plus Access to the Beach
This area is obviously tidal. Please be aware that tides can come in quickly especially in the winter months so please refer to tide times as published and keep an eye on the sea!
The beach can be accessed from two points, those seeking only a short walk to the cache site should access the beach from the cliff car park at N52 57.163 E000 29.889. Carparking is available here at a charge (see parking below). Alternatively you may walk to here along the top of the cliffs along the North Promenade which has gardens and a walk overlooking the sea past the worlds first parabolic lighthouse. Those wishing a longer walk along the beach under the highest points should access the beach from Hunstanton promenade at N52 56.607 E000 29.262 This route will also take you past some interesting carrstone rockpools.
Important: At either the provided coordinates for access to the beach, you will find a large signs detailing hazards in the area, specifically the state of the cliffs. PLEASE READ THIS
Please remember there is no requirement to clamber on these cliffs!
The Cliffs
Very unusually for the east coast, the resort of Hunstanton faces westwards out over the Wash, the cliffs themselves run from Hunstanton promenade to St Edmunds point which is just over a mile away in Old Hunstanton. This location provides a continuous section through the lower two thirds of the redefined Ferriby Chalk Formation.
During the Cretaceous period (65-145m Years ago), Europe was split into two areas with differing ecology and now preserved in the differing fossil records. The 'Tethyan Realm' to the south and the cooler 'Boreal Realm' to the North. Within the UK this resulted in what is recognised as the Northern and Southern Provinces of Chalk. Hunstanton is the first point of exposure where the stratigraphical terminology of the Northern Province can be applied.
Walking along the beach you will see three main layers of rock exposed in the cliffs the upper levels being white chalk, red chalk and carrstone at the base.
The Ferriby Chalk Formation:
This white/grey limestone chalk layer was formed during the upper cretaceous period, when 'Sunny Hunny' was even sunnier basking in a warm tropical climate. Known as The Ferriby Chalk Formation it is approximately 10 m thick and extends upwards inland to Nettleton Pycnodonte Marl and Nettleton Stone although these layers fail to be preserved here.
The White Ferriby Chalk and Hunstanton Red Chalk Layers are joined by the thin Paradoxica Bed (Pink and Cream). The content of the Paradoxica Bed is complex and depressions in the top of the Red Chalk Formation are filled with what is thought to be stromatolites. These in turn are overlain by a thin, dark red marl again featuring what may be stromatolites, indicating intertidal conditions. Stromatolites are layered accretionary structures formed in shallow water by the trapping and cementing of sedimentary grains by microorganisms especially blue-green algae. The Paradoxica Bed is succeeded by the grey coloured Lower Inoceramus Bed, largely made up of debris and complete shells of bivalves.
Hunstanton Red Chalk Formation
This layer of 'brick red' coloured limestone chalk was formed during the lower cretaceous period over approximately 15 million years. Its colour is caused by ferrous staining of this rock layer. Originally geologists treated the Red Chalk as a member of the Ferriby Chalk Formation, more recently in the 1990s they have redefined the Ferriby Chalk and classified this Red Chalk as a formation in its own right. The revised name of the 'Hunstanton Red Chalk Formation' is now used for this stratum.
Carrstone:
This dark brown rock layer is a sandstone which is high in iron ore, hence the colour. It has been used widely in buildings around the county. Much of Hunstanton is built from this rock which has been mined at nearby Snettisham for over a thousand years.
The cliffs have been subject to continual erosion and its estimated that they have retreated by up to 30m since 1885.The cliffs are widely colonised by fulmars which look similar to seagulls.
Fossils
This area is a magnet for fossil hunters with plentiful finds to be made. Both the white and red chalk layers contain fossils, the carrstone only small remnants of wood. The chalk layers contain Bivalves, Belemites, Ammonites, Coccoliths and Brachiopods. The fossils found in the cliffs have been cited as vital in in linking the narrower successions of the Northern Province to the wider successions of the Southern Province.
As you will have noted from the signage, the crumbling cliffs can be dangerous! Please do not climb on them. There are plenty of rocks on the beach that have fallen and it is here you can often best see these fossilised remains. Interfering with the cliffs can cause a rockfall!
LOGGING THIS CACHE
In order to log this cache you must send the answers to the following 2 questions via our profile link at the top of the page (Remember to check the box to include your email address for a response!)
(a) At the final coordinates (N52 57.144 E000 29.795) approximately how thick is the Hunstanton Red Chalk Formation at this point?
(b) The colour of the red chalk is caused by 'ferrous staining'. The presence of which chemical element causes this? (You may need to look this up)
If you enjoy this cache why not upload a photograph of yourself and/or GPSr with the striped cliffs in the background. Alternatively if you are feeling frivolous why not with a stripy stick of seaside rock? 
Please do not photograph yourself against the actual cache site for reasons to become apparent! (Any such photos may be deleted).
Any logs made without an accompanying email within 14 days of the log with the requested information may be deleted without further notice.
Parking
The closest parking is available at the Cliffs Car Park (N52 57.058 E000 29.722) near the lighthouse, though charges apply at all times.
At the time of setting, the charges were:
£1.50 for the first hour.
£2.70 for 2 hours
£4.40 all day
Updated parking prices (July 13): £ 3.20 for 3 hrs or £5.30 all day
Alternative parking is available in the town, including free if you're lucky, during the winter months you may park on 'Cliff Parade' though please ensure you check signage for availability.