Why Flamborough Head
It’s always great to get out to the British coast. There are many amazing things to see & do at Flamborough head cliffs. When the weather is good and the sun is shinning theres no better place to be. The area around Flamborough Head has some spectacular coastline, limestone cliffs, hidden cloves and wildlife which makes this an exceptional place to come for a day out even a little longer.
Where is it & how to get there
Flamborough Head is a promontory situated on the Yorkshire north sea coast between Bridlington and Scarborough. The easiest way to reach the area is by road. You can get to bridlington by train from most towns in the UK and then by bus from there to Flamborough Head. We travelled by car from our home in Lancashire this took about two and a half hours. It is within a one and a half hour drive of Hull, York and Leeds. It’s just under a three hour drive from Manchester.
Where to stay
If you fancy staying for longer than a day there are options for every budget either in the villages of Flamborough or Bempton and the surrounding area. Check here for options here.
What to see and do
There are plenty of amazing things to see & do at Flamborough head if you you love the outdoors. It is a paradise for nature lovers and walkers; just the views alone along the chalk Flamborough cliffs make it well worth a visit. The wildlife is spectacular with the chance to see soaring Gannets, nesting Puffins, Fulmers, Guillemots and Razorbills on the cliffs. In the sea if you are lucky you may spot basking Seals and Porpoise swimming. There are beaches to relax on, rock pools and caves to explore and a couple of lighthouses too. Don’t forget your beach wear, walking shoes and a camera.
When to visit
The best time to visit if you want to see the Puffins will be late May and June as this is when they nest. The rest of the wildlife can be usually be seen May until early September. Try and pick a dry sunny day if you can it’s a lot more enjoyable day out on a nice day and you’ll see a lot more.
Thornwick Bay & Little Thornwick Bay
There are four beaches on flamborogh Head; South landing, North landing, Selwick bay (Flamborough head) and Thornwick Bay. We started our walk from the carpark at Thornwick bay. Before walking along the cliffs to bempton we explored the bay. It’s a quite steep walk down and once you get to the beach itself there’s not a lot of sand, more rocks and shingle and rock pools.
Thornwick Nab is an out crop of rock on one side of the bay with an arch in the cliffs. On the other side of the bay the cliffs have been worn by the waves into a series of shallow caves. To continue the walk we climbed the steep path over the nab and round Little Thornwick Bay and onto the cliffs beyond the holiday park.
Bempton Cliffs
Bempton cliffs are quite spectacular, they rise straight out of the sea to a height of over three hundred feet at the highest points. In some places the cliffs are covered in nesting sea birds including about 11,000 pairs of gannets one of Britains biggest and most spectacular sea bird. With a total of up to 200,000 nesting birds.
Its roughly a five Kilometre walk to the visitors centre run by the RSPB. Along the cliffs there are wooden observation platforms where you can look down on to the nesting sea birds. In breeding season it is an amazing sight and the noise is almost deafening. If your there at the right time of year (May and June) you may be able to spot a few Puffins nesting on the cliffs. There are usually some RSPB guides there to point them out. If you’re not an RSPB member then you are expected to pay at the visitor centre but there are no gates or fences.
Our view
Flamborough head and the surrounding area is a fantastic place to spend a day out. Our perhaps longer. You are surrounded by some of the best of the British countryside and one of the uk’s most important seabird nesting sites. We come back time and time again and we hope we have inspired you to do the same.
Booking resources for your trip
Accommodation
We have always tended to use Booking.com having said that if your on a tight budget another good site to try as a comparison is Hostelworld, If your looking to compare different sites you can do that on Hotellook, we tend to look on here first to make sure we are getting the best deal.
Tours & Tickets
You can book your visits as you go at the entrance to your chosen attraction or site. Or you could use the following links to book in advance or just to find out what your choices are in the area. GetYourGuide and Tiqets are our go to choices you could try Viator to see how they compare.
For a full list check out our resources page. Don’t forget always shop around to find the best deal for you. What works for us should be good for you but it’s always reassuring to check.
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