Bawdsey Fossils and Fossil Collecting
Your Suffolk Geological Guide and Geology Info

It has only been in recent years that Bawdsey is once again being washed out by the sea, but this time it is a small cliff North of the famous (now overgrown) 'Red Crag' cliffs. London clay on the foreshore is rich in fish, bird and shark.

Bawdsey is extremely rich in fossils but most of the fossils are only found when sieving the clay surrounding fossil wood. With this technique the clay is highly fossiliferious but without sieving, you will find very little.

(Suitable for families)

This location is suitable for families. Sieving is also something which all the family can enjoy at home, so be sure to take back those samples.

Although Bawdsey is easy to find, this area can be hard to access depending on the state of the cliffs and beach, you may have to walk a small extra distance to gain beach access.

Foreshore, Cliff

Fossils are mostly found on the foreshore but can also be found in the cliff face, or the scree. Crag fossils are mostly found in the cliff and the London Clay fossils on the foreshore.

Other Locations similar to Bawdsey

If you are interested in locations where you can find Mollosc Crag Shells from the Red Crag and Norwich Crag, try Covehithe, Easton Wood, Alderton, Ramsholt, Wangford Quarry and Walton-on-Naze.

For locations where you can find fossils from the Eocene London Clay, try Isle of Sheppey, Ramsholt, Maylandsea, Nacton, Levington, Walton-on-Naze, Bognor Regis or Burnham on Crouch.

If you like collecting sharks teeth you could also try Harwich, Bracklesham Bay, Herne Bay, Barton-on-Sea or Milford-on-sea which are also of the
Eocene age.

If you enjoy collecting Crocodile and Turtle, you could try Hamstead or Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, here the Oliogocene bed yield plenty of remains.