The southeast side of Rutland Water, at Edith Weston, has oolitic rocks around the edges of the reservoir. These blocks are not particularly fossiliferous, but do contain the occasional bivalve. This location is worth a visit if in the local area (for example, visiting Top Grange Quarry – see our guide to this site).
DIRECTIONS
♦ Head towards Edith Weston. From Ketton, this is the small road heading west. From the A606, take the road south of Bunkers Hill and then head towards Edith Weston.
♦ To the southern end of Edith Weston, you will find a large car park and picnic area (well marked on maps). Park here, from where you will see Rutland Water at the bottom of a large green slope. Rocks are found all along the banks, at the bottom of the slope.
♦ Ref: 52.642512, 0.627004
PROFILE INFO
FIND FREQUENCY: ♦ – The Great Oolite here is poor in fossils, although the occasional bivalve can be seen. You will often come away with no finds at all, but it is an excellent location to stop for a picnic after visiting other local sites, such as Top Grange Quarry.
CHILDREN: ♦♦♦♦ – Although this location is ideal for children, watch younger children near the water, which is very deep.
ACCESS: ♦♦♦♦♦ – There is very easy access to the site. There is also a picnic site clearly marked on maps, which has toilets and a cafe. The walk down from the picnic site to the shore is easy going and not very far.
TYPE: – Fossils are found in the rocks around the southeast side of the reservoir on its banks. This site is privately owned, so you can collect from the loose material, but must not hammer the larger rocks. These form part of the water defence.
FOSSIL HUNTING
Rutland Water is not a location to visit purely for fossils. However, Ketton and Top Grange Quarries are very close by. This location is ideal to visit when in the area, as it has toilets, food and a good picnic area.
At the bottom of the slope from the car park, you will see plenty of large oolitic blocks. Some of these contain bivalves on the surfaces. The large oolitic blocks are actually placed here as a water-defence, so do not hammer these. However, lots of very small fragments have broken off these over time and some of these can also contain fossils, which can be collected. In the slope itself, you can see the Blisworth Clay.
GEOLOGY
The banks of the reservoir are made of clay (Blisworth Clay). The large oolite blocks are from the Great Oolite, which is from the Blisworth Limestone (Jurassic ~165mya). Sadly, the blocks here are from a not particularly fossiliferous section.
SAFETY
You should use common sense at all locations. Rutland Water is very deep, so keep away from the water’s edge. Stay on the embankments to be safe.
EQUIPMENT
We recommend just taking a camera to photograph this site and its fossils, although loose, small rocks can be collected.
ACCESS RIGHTS
This site is privately owned, you can collect loose rocks, but you must not hammer the large rocks. These form part of the water defence.
It is important to follow our ‘Code of Conduct’ when collecting fossils or visiting any site. Please also read our ‘Terms and Conditions‘
LINKS
♦ Buy Fossils, Crystals, Tools
♦ Location Discussions
♦ Deposits Magazine
♦ Join Fossil Hunts
♦ UK Fossils Network