Bempton Cliffs & Flamborough Head (Day Trip)

Tour Code: GBR329

Join an expert ornithologist for a day with seabirds and other wildlife at RSPB Bempton Cliffs and Flamborough Head Nature Reserve on the Yorkshire coast.

We hope to run this tour in the future, but have not yet finalised dates and prices. To be added to a waiting list and be informed when details are confirmed, please click on the register interest button, or phone 01962 733051.
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

Join our expert guide for a day of wildlife-watching at the RSPB’s Bempton Cliffs and Flamborough Head reserves nestled on the Yorkshire coast. Each year, during the summer breeding season, around half a million seabirds return to the white chalk cliffs at Bempton and nearby Flamborough to breed. Please click on ‘detailed information’ below to read about the highlights of this Day Trip, as some birds will have departed later on in the season. 

  • Puffins, Northern Gannets, Guillemots (July) 
  • Shearwaters, terns, skuas, flycatchers, Fulmars (August) 
  • Guidance throughout from an expert ornithologist
  • Look for Tree Sparrows on the reserve, and Barn Owls are often seen in the late afternoon

 

The day will start off at Flamborough Head, one of the most spectacular areas of chalk cliffs in Britain, standing 400 feet high. It’s also known for its stacks, arches, smugglers’ caves and two lighthouses. Summer highlights include Wall butterflies, Manx Shearwaters, and skuas, commonly seen in late summer. Along the shoreline, you may spot Grey Seals basking in the sun, and keep an eye out for Bottlenose Dolphins, Harbour Porpoises, and Minke Whales, which have been occasionally spotted in the past.

In the afternoon, we will move on to Bempton Cliffs by car which, from May to July, will be a hive of activity as Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills will be busily feeding their chicks on nearby nests. Black-legged Kittiwakes are still around in August, as are Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Shags and Cormorants. The cliffs are also home to the largest mainland gannetry in England from March to October. The sights, sounds and smells of these breeding seabirds make Bempton Cliffs one of the most spectacular locations to see and photograph seabirds in the UK. Corn Buntings, Common Whitethroats, Stonechats, Skylarks, Tree Sparrows, and Linnets nest in the grassland and scrub along the coast, while Kestrels and both Barn and Short-Eared Owls hunt beneath expansive skies.

Beyond the seabird colonies, the reserve is also home to a diverse array of other wildlife, including butterflies, moths, and wildflowers that thrive in the nearby meadows. On sunny days, you may see Painted Lady and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies, as well as the Six-spot Burnet moth, and even the Hummingbird Hawkmoth. We will also have more opportunities to spot marine-life here.

Parking charges apply at Flamborough Head. Please note that the entry charge to the RSPB reserve is not included in the price of the Day Trip (£8 for non-members; free for members).

DETAILED INFORMATION
Day Trip Location

Day Trip Location

Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!