Grafham Water fossils and fossil collecting

From the A1 take the A14 West for approx. 4-5 miles. Then Take the exit for Grafham. Follow the signs for Grafham water. After about approx. 3 miles you will see a cycle shop and car park on your right . Enter the car park and find a nice spot.
Go to the foreshore and proceed to your right you should have already found some Gryphaea and Belemnites. As you proceed down the foreshore
keep on the lookout for Ammonites in the Exposed Oxford Clay and do not forget to check out the banks (Boulder Clay). The Clay will be exposed only when the reservoir water level is low.

GRID REF: 52.29168°N, 0.31933°W

Ammonites, Belemnites, Crinoids, Brachiopods, Bivalves, Reptile remains.

Grafham Water was formally a shallow valley, now turned into a large lake with water sports and a nature reserve. Today, fossils can be found plentiful along the banks of the lake and during summer months when the water level is at its lowest. Ammonites, Belemnites and much more.

Good

This location is highly productive, best time to collect is during the summer when water levels are at their lowest.

Suitable for Children

If you get bored of fossil hunting this site is excellent for the family. There are several nature trails that can be hiked or cycled if you care to rent a bike from the cycle shop. This site also has a playground, so bring a picnic. Although this location is suitable for families, and children, we highly recommend that children and supervised at all times.

Good Access

This location is very easy to access and as a good onsite car park. There are lots of things to do in th area, including walks and a picnic area.

Lake Embankments

This lake was once a large valley now turned into a nature reserve with water sports. Fossils can be found on the banks especially during the summer when water is at its lowest level.

SSSI

There are also restrictions on vistors due to the site byelaws passed by parliament and due to the sites designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest - mainly relating to wetland birds. There is no access to the shoreline and permission for such activity would have to be obtained from Natural England and Anglian Water. Any interested individuals should contact either Anglian Water or The Wildlife Trust.

This location is a reservoir so wherever there is water there is risk. Please take all safety considerations into mind when visiting this location.

Last updated:
last visited:

Written by:

16/08/08
2004

Vic and Amanda Parrish.

Geological Tools

Grafham is a bit of an unpredictable location, sometimes you can come away with nothing and other times buckets full. Much depends on beach conditions, but always take the right tools or one day your get caught out!

Other Locations similar to Grafham

Other locations where fossils can be found in the Oxford Clay are, Kings Dyke and Yaxley in the Cambridgeshire region, or in Dorset, try Weymouth, Bowleaze Cove. In North Scotland you can also try Brora which also has Oxford Clay. In Yorkshire, you can try Cayton Bay. Gristhorpe.


At Grafham Water, Ammonites and Belemnites are by far the most common find, but a wide range of shells can also be found along with crinoids stems and Gryphaea, occasionally if your lucky, reptile or fish remains. You just never know what might turn up, at other Oxford Clay sites, crocodile can also be found. The best place to look is when the water level is at its lowest, search the foreshore and banks and you will see Oxford clay. Fossils are also yielded after downpours of rain during summer months. Collecting may be poor at this site during years which have above average rainfall, but very good in the months following drought. Keep an eye on water restrictions, if you hear of local 'hose pipe bans', then head in Grafhams direction! Fossils exposed in the Oxford Clay

Jurassic, 160mya

At Grafham Water, the Boulder Clay overlain's the Oxford Clay.

It is the Oxford Clay were most of the fossils come from, this clay is extremly rich in fossils. The Oxford Clay has been reclassified and now falls under the Peterborough Formation.

It is Mainly brownish-grey, fissile, organic-rich (bituminous) mudstones with shelly fauna dominated by crushed aragonitic ammonites and bivalves, including nuculoid and meleagrinella shell-beds. Subordinate beds of pale-medium grey, blocky mudstone exist with several bands of cementstone nodules/concretions. The basal beds are commonly silty, with Gryphaea-rich shell beds...[more]


Fossils from Grafham Water...[more]

Geological Tools

Microscopes

Test Sieves for Microfossils

We sell a wide range of geological tools from our online store. These include hammers, chisels, and picks.

We also sell starter packs with everything you need to start fossil collecting.

Our online store includes books and publications on fossils and geology, and a range of geological maps on the East Mersea area.

We have over 10,000 items for sale, covering almost every aspect of geology and fossils.

At Grafham Water, you can find small teeth from the Oxford Clay. We recommend taking samples of clay and then leaving the samples in water for a few weeks to break down. You can then wet sieve and examine the remaining contents using a microscope.

We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, you will need a Stereo microscope for viewing microfossils. The best one we sell is the IMXZ, but a basic microscope will be fine. Once you have found microfossils, you will need to store these microfossils.

Test Sieves are used when searching for microfossils. We recommend that you use a test sieve with water at different levels. Test sieves for Oxford Clay should be 500 microns.

Our UKGE Store sells Endecotts Test Sieves, which are the highest in accuracy and extremely durable and long lasting. These Test Sieves are fantastic for microfossils. Endecotts Test Sieves come in a variety of sizes, frame material and types, they are fully certificated to EU Standards.

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