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Ranked 3 of 5 facilties in ranked in Yorkshire
Wow factor
Accessibility
Photo potential
Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve
| Directions: |
The reserve is on the B1229 cliff road from Flamborough to Filey. In Bempton village, turn north at the White Horse pub and the reserve is at the end of the road after one mile (follow the brown tourist signs). There is a parking space. The nearest railway station is 200m south of Bempton village – 20 minutes walk away. The nearest bus stop is in Bempton village, 15 minutes walk from the reserve. Buses will drop off at any point on request. |
| Accessibility: |
Open daily. From the visitor centre, there is a short 1:10 descent leading to a gently sloping limestone path. Access to some viewpoints may be narrow in places with some steep gradients. |
| Costs: |
£3.50 per car. Free to RSPB members. |
| Best time to visit: |
Spring, for nesting pictures. |
Venue information
Breeding seabirds love this site in spring, returning here from cooler climes. Species to watch for include: gannets, puffins, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, kittiwakes, herring gulls and shags; farmland birds such as skylarks, tree sparrows, linnets, meadow pipits, reed and corn buntings, plus short-eared owls and peregrines. Migratory birds include wheatears and various warblers, and over-wintering thrushes. By summer, the breeding season is in full swing with all 200,000 seabirds with eggs or chicks. Breeding tree sparrows, whitethroats, grasshopper warblers, sedge warblers, skylarks, linnets, reed buntings, rock and meadow pipits can be seen within 200m of the visitor centre. A moderate range of the common butterflies may be seen on sunny days, along with day-flying moths such as cinnabars, burnet moths and occasionally hummingbird hawk-moths.
By autumn, all the seabirds have departed and breeding has finished, except for gannets. The autumnal migration can be exciting at Bempton owing to its coastal location and being on a headland.
Venue verdict: An excellent spot for photographing birds with great backdrops.
Ratings (out of five): 4
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Visited Bempton cliffs last July. I was amazed at the number of nesting birds we saw including gannets, puffins and guillemots. There is a car park fee (free to RSPV members).
Make sure to take your tripod and a decent lens. I will be going back now I have a 70-300 lens and hope for better shots.
(Written by: pollylew)
08 July 2010 10:06
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You need to visit the reserve between May and August to see the seabirds. You can walk the cliff-top path through Flamborough to Bridlington for spectacular views over the sea.
(Written by: Carl Jacques)
16 September 2008 17:40
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Visited Bempton for the first time in October. I should have known something wasn't right when there was no car parking charge. Walked down to the magnifiscent cliffs, only to be greeted by... well... nothing. Not a single bird. Will teach me to make sure I find out when the birds are there in the future. The sight of the cliffs was fine, and access is great. You can get close to the edge, and there are protective fences to stop children or animals going too far. Dogs are welcome on leads.
(Written by: KingKobra74)
04 December 2007 19:45