Route: Bempton Cliffs
Area: East Yorkshire
Date of walk: 13th June 2017
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 2.0 miles
Weather: Sunny
Bempton Cliffs is billed as ‘the best place in England to see, hear and smell seabirds’. It’s a spectacular place, especially at this time of year when sea birds nest here in their thousands. I visit the cliffs every year and could never tire of walking along the tops
Puffins, gannets, kittiwake, guillemot and razorbill are everywhere, nesting in every crook and cranny along the huge cliff face. It’s fascinating to watch them jostling for position, warding off predators, bringing food to the nests and generally leading their very busy lives
I parked by the RSPB Visitor Centre and walked along the path to the edge of the cliffs, visiting each of the viewing stations in turn. The RSPB have provided various viewing points from which to see this non-stop action, and there are plenty of volunteers around to answer questions – the most popular one being ‘Where can I see the puffins?’ There were plenty around today but all too distant for a decent photo
There were however some good seabird sightings from each of the viewpoints, and it was another wonderful visit to this special place
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Some flowers in the garden earlier this week - foxglove...
...rock rose with paper-like petals
...fern leaf
...poppy
...and mother duck with 8 ducklings on our pond
At the start of today's walk I pass through the Visitor Centre
Path to the cliff edge
Bempton Cliffs
looking north...
...and now looking south
Gannets - every nook and cranny is booked for the season
I walk along the cliff top as far as Jubilee Corner at the northern edge of the main reserve
Guillemot and kittiwake
Guillemot, and a bridled guillemot with its white eye ring and thin white line extending from it
Razorbill...
The magnificent gannet, star of today's show, with its 6 foot wing span
Looking out to sea
A tree sparrow
Gannets bill fencing - the equivalent of kissing
Looking north along the cliff tops
Guillemot, and kittiwake sitting on their eggs
Having reached the northern end of the reserve I retrace my steps and walk to Staple Newk at the southern end
The only photo I managed of a puffin - out of focus I'm afraid
A better shot from last year's visit
A distant sighting of a porpoise and calf
Kittiwake
Scale Nab...
And lastly more gannet action as I return to the start...
