Ramsholt is one of the best locations for fossils in Suffolk, yielding sharks’ teeth, lobsters, fruit and shells from the London Clay, shells, sharks’ teeth from the Red Crag, corals, echinoids from the Coralline, and complete crabs, fish remains and sharks’ teeth from the basement bed.
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DIRECTIONS
♦ To get to Ramsholt, head for the Ramsholt Arms, where there is a large car park just before the pub on the left. From here, there is a long walk to the cliff at Ramsholt. Walk west towards the Pub end and then follow the footpath round the banks of the river. This will eventually lead onto a path through a wooded area.
♦ Continue west and you will walk around the banks of the marshland, which is popular with many rare birds. Continue on and you will eventually arrive at a small beach with trees on the foreshore, sticky clay and a cliff. The walk takes about 30 to 40 minutes. (1.4 miles).
♦ To find the Ramsholt Arms, just past Shottisham Hall is a narrow road leading to Ramsholt. Follow this and look for a narrow road signposted to the public house. This signpost can be difficult to see, but is just after a long straight part of the road followed by a sudden bend. The turnoff is actually on the bend itself.
♦ The car park is no longer free, and there is a charge (£4 for 4 hours). If you are only staying for 3 hours and planning on using the pub, then you don’t need a ticket, but do need to go to the pub first and register, otherwide the cameras will automatically send you a fine.
♦ Postcode to Parking: IP12 3AB, Google Maps
♦ Location: What3Words: ///headsets.ejects.upstairs
PROFILE INFO
FIND FREQUENCY: ♦♦♦♦♦ – Ramsholt has yielded fossils from its foreshore for many years. The small beach is also popular with those wishing to moor their boats and picnic or barbeque on the beach. Many are surprised to find fossils, such as sharks’ teeth, simply lying on the beach.
CHILDREN: ♦♦♦♦ – This location is ideal for children. Fossils can easily be found on the foreshore, but children should stay away during winter high tides.
ACCESS: ♦♦ – Ramsholt is hard to find and, once you do get to it, it is a long walk to the cliffs. This takes about 30 to 40 minutes depending on how fast you walk and the conditions of the footpath. During the winter, the walk is hard going along a very muddy and slippery footpath.
TYPE: – Fossils are mostly found on the foreshore. All you need to do is get on your hands and knees and beachcomb.
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FOSSIL HUNTING
Sharks’ teeth, fish remains, and a wide range of molluscs and mammal remains can be found in the Red Crag. You can also find fossil crabs at Ramsholt, which are derived and can be found in the Red Crag basement bed. Many other fossils can be found in this bed, including lobsters, fish remains, sharks’ teeth and vertebras. In fact, since these are derived, you never really know what you might find.
You can also find wonderful corals, regular sea urchins, and many types of shells and bryozoans, all from the Coralline Crag.
From the London Clay, sharks’ teeth and other remains can be found, including fragments of fish, turtles, crabs, lobsters and snakes. Shark and fish remains are the most common.
In fact, there is a wide range of fossils to be found at Ramsholt. One of the best collecting spots seems to be near the middle of the site. There is a mixture of fossils in this area, with polished sharks’ teeth from the Red Crag Basement Bed, derived from the London Clay, along with crabs (both whole and in pieces). Ray plates and fish teeth are also very common. Expect to find almost anything, as this is an excellent site for London Clay collecting. Look especially around the trees, as fossils get caught under the branches.
On the shoreline at the base of cliff, you can find wonderful corals from the Coralline Crag. These are usually in excellent condition and can be cleaned to a bright-white when soaked or bleached to look even better. These can also be found among the shingle and clay.
When the basement bed is scoured out, you should find a layer full of pebbles. Within this layer are crabs, sharks’ teeth, ray plates and other fossils. The best beds are those near the rope, which yield a vast number of teeth and crabs. These fossils are washed down from the bed and deposited on the foreshore. At the western end, shells from the crag are exposed along the entire beach, along with many derived sharks’ teeth, ray plates and other fossils. In fact, there is a wide range of shells to be found from both crags, which make for ideal collecting for any crag enthusiast. There is such a vast amount of collecting to be done, you can spend hours at Ramsholt and still only cover a very small part of the location.
GEOLOGY
Ramsholt sits on the west bank of the River Deben estuary. Unlike open-coast cliff sections, exposures here are river-cut, wooded, and intermittent. The “cliff” is really a steep estuary bank, so what you can see changes with vegetation cover, small slips, and the state of the foreshore.
Ramsholt is famous because you can get (when the bank is fresh) a stacked story from Eocene clay up into Pliocene–early Pleistocene marine sands:
London Clay (Eocene – oldest)
- Typically exposed lowest down (near the foreshore and at the base of slips).
- Dark grey to blue-grey clay, weathering to brown, often plastic and sticky.
- Forms the “weak layer” that encourages small slumps where it becomes saturated.
Coralline Crag (Pliocene – locally present)
- Not always obvious everywhere at Ramsholt, but recorded on this part of the Deben.
- A pale, carbonate-rich sand (often buff/cream when dry), generally more cemented than the overlying Red Crag.
- Where present, it can form a thin but distinct band between London Clay and Red Crag.
Red Crag (latest Pliocene to earliest Pleistocene – youngest bedrock here)
- The most typical “Crag” seen at Ramsholt.
- Reddish-brown, iron-stained, shell-rich sands (often loose and gritty).
- Thickness is variable from place to place because it lies on an uneven erosional surface.
- Commonly begins with a basal lag: coarser, mixed material (pebbly or gritty) sitting directly on older units.
The basement bed is also frequently washed out at the middle part of the cliff section, where it originally slipped; and further landslides caused the Coralline Crag to rest on this. Therefore, the middle section of the cliff can be extremely confusing. The sequence actually goes: Red Crag, Coralline Crag, Red Crag, Red Crag basement bed, Coralline Crag, and London Clay.
SAFETY
Common sense when collecting at all locations should be used and knowledge of tide times is essential. The main issue to be aware of is the tide, as this reaches the base of the cliff. The fallen trees can make it easy to become cut off, so it is best to visit this location on a falling tide.
EQUIPMENT
The fossils from Ramsholt are usually found on the foreshore. However, blocks of hard London Clay also contain fossils, so it is best to take a pick to break these up. For most fossils, you will only need good eyes. However, Wellington boots are recommended during the winter and directly after high tides.
ACCESS RIGHTS
This site is an SSSI. This means you can visit the site, but hammering the bedrock is not permitted. For full information about the reasons for the status of the site and restrictions please download the PDF from Natural England – SSSI Information – Ramsholt
It is important to follow our ‘Code of Conduct’ when collecting fossils or visiting any site. Please also read our ‘Terms and Conditions‘
LINKS
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