Category Archives: Sand

Not having been out sand collecting for some time and with a Friday off work, I decided to continue adding to my ever-increasing collection and bag another section of coast along the Firth of Forth.  I’ve collected from most accessible … Continue reading →

Even before you start collecting it’s important to give some thought to how you are going to manage the many hundreds, if not thousands of samples you may eventually collect, often in a very short period of time. While some … Continue reading →

Many different types of open water including lakes, lochs, reservoirs and even small ponds are often worthy destinations for sand collecting. Even the humblest of ponds may have a small beach where the action of wind and wave have laid … Continue reading →

The action of wind and weather on upland areas is continually breaking down rock into smaller materials such as sand and the effects of this weathering make the hills and mountains of upland areas far more productive for the enthusiastic … Continue reading →

Many collectors do not go in for sieving their samples, preferring the sample to stay as originally collected. Personally, I always sieve my samples, be they sand, crushed sandstone or whatever. I do this to keep my samples uniform and … Continue reading →

It seemed reasonable that on a web site dedicated to the fascinating if somewhat unusual hobby of sand collecting that I should include a few words about why anyone would want to collect sand in the first place? There are … Continue reading →

As well as the usual locations for sand collecting, such as beaches and dunes, there are number of less obvious places where sand may be collected. Old Stone Walls Keep an eye out for old stone walls made from sandstone, … Continue reading →

Always on the lookout for new locations to collect sand, I starting wondering one lunchtime about the possibilities of collecting sand in urban areas, namely in around the office where I work in the centre of Edinburgh, the Scottish capital. … Continue reading →

As well as collecting sand in the traditional manner, there is another way of adding sand to your collection, making your own. Sand is made from a variety of materials with quartz being perhaps the most common, followed by organic … Continue reading →

Sand and gravel pits can provide many different samples for Sand Collecting. In fact, on a recent visit to one such quarry, it was not difficult to gather around ten different samples and on another visit I was able to … Continue reading →

One of the easiest ways to get more from your sand is to test for magnetic minerals such as magnetite. To do this, all you need is a magnet, which is then lightly dragged across the surface of the sample. … Continue reading →

What is sand collecting? Sand collecting is a relatively inexpensive though often time-consuming pastime attracting an ever-increasing number of enthusiasts, known as Arenophiles, who share a passion for collecting small samples of sand, from beaches, rivers, dunes, streams, quarries and … Continue reading →

A few quick questions and answers of the subject of sand. What actually is sand? Sand is a granular material made up of fine loose particles ranging in size from 0.0625 mm up to 2.00 mm. Particles larger than 2.00 … Continue reading →

When I first started collecting sand back in 2015, my original idea was to limit my collecting to sand, sand and nothing else but sand. However, it did not take me long to discover that there was a plentiful supply … Continue reading →