Suffolk · Suffolk
Fossil hunting at Bawdsey
Suffolk Red Crag cliffs producing shark teeth, shells and phosphatic nodules.
Representative photography of this stretch of coast, not a photograph of the site on a particular day.
What can you find?
About the site
The low cliffs at Bawdsey, on the Suffolk coast near the mouth of the River Deben, expose the Red Crag. Shark teeth, shells and dark phosphatic nodules known as coprolites wash out onto the shingle.
It is a quiet, unspoilt stretch of coast. Finds are small and require patience, and sieving the shingle is far more productive than walking.
Planning a visit
- Geological period
- Pliocene (Red Crag), around 2–3 million years old
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Suitable for children
- Not recommended for young children at this site.
- Best time to go
- After winter storms, low tide.
- Tides
- Work a falling tide; the shingle beach narrows considerably at high water.
- Access
- Shingle beach with an uneven walk from parking; hard going.
- Parking
- Limited parking at Bawdsey Quay.
- Walking and terrain
- 1 km or more along the beach to the better exposures.
- Location type
- Beach, Cliff
- Collecting
- Loose beach material only; the cliffs are eroding and should not be dug.
Check before you travel: Coastal access here changes with erosion and estate management — check current access locally.
Safety
- Soft, low cliffs that slump — keep clear.
- Steep shingle and strong longshore currents; do not swim.
What to bring
- Sieve
- Wellies
- Tide table
- Small pots