Bawdsey Cliff (SSSI)
Location and Access Information
Grid Reference: TM 338379 to TM345385
View along shingle beach at Bawdsey.
This 1km long cliff section is located to the south of Bawdsey on the eastern side of the mouth of the Deben Estuary. The section can be accessed via the beach from the car park and picnic site at Bawdsey Ferry or from the small car park at East Lane (TM 359400), some 2km to the north. Care and attention should be given to the state of the tide when visiting the site as access to and from Bawdsey Ferry cannot be gained at high tide.
View the site map on Nature on the Map
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Geological Interest
The cliff section at Bawdsey provides one of the best exposures through the marine sediments of the Red Crag. Deposited about 2-3 million years ago, the Red Crag contains many fossil shells, including types familiar today such as cockles, oysters and whelks. The presence of these shells indicates that climatic and environmental conditions were similar to those of modern-day England. The cliff exposures of the Red Crag at Bawdsey also demonstrate a number of structures that formed during the deposition of the sediments. These structures allow geologists to determine that the Red Crag was deposited in a shallow sea in which accumulations of shelly sand was swept by currents and waves over the seabed.
