East Yorkshire Coast Wildlife: Spurn Point to Bempton Cliffs

The East Yorkshire coast packs three of the UK's best wildlife experiences into one stretch of coastline — and none of them requires a marathon hike to reach.

From the shifting sand spit of Spurn Point to the thundering seabird colonies at Bempton Cliffs, this is a coast that rewards you for slowing down and paying attention. You'll find accessible clifftop paths, RSPB viewpoints with telescopes on hand, and wildlife that comes remarkably close.

We've visited these places across different seasons and always come home with something — whether that's a memory card full of seabird photos or just the sound of half a million birds still ringing in our ears.

Here's what each place offers, and what to know before you go.

Spurn Point — The Edge of the World

Spurn Point feels like the very edge of everything — a narrow finger of sand stretching three miles into the mouth of the Humber estuary, with the North Sea on one side and the wide estuary on the other.

The full walk to the point and back covers about seven miles, and your entire schedule needs to be planned around the tides. The path can flood at high tide, so check the tide tables before you set out. It's the kind of walk where preparation makes all the difference.

If seven miles sounds like more than you're after, don't worry. There are shorter loops around Kilnsea and the visitor centre that give you a real feel for the place — the estuary, the scrubby dunes, the wide-open sky. You don't have to do the full trek to come away with something worthwhile.

Staying nearby makes an early start much easier. Villages like Easington or Kilnsea put you just minutes from the reserve — perfect for catching the sunrise light without setting a painful alarm.

We spotted this Little Egret fishing right behind the visitor centre — a reminder that the best sightings often happen when you stop looking so hard and let the place come to you.

Flamborough Head — White Cliffs and Wide Views

Further north, the landscape shifts dramatically. The low sandy coast gives way to the chalk cliffs of Flamborough Head — white, imposing, and carved by the sea into arches and caves.

Two lighthouses stand here, known locally as the old and the new (though the "new" one has been keeping watch since 1806). The views from the clifftop are stunning — on a clear day, you can look out across the whole sweep of Bridlington Bay.

You don't need to scramble down to the beach to appreciate this place. The panoramic views from the top are the real reward, and they're easy to reach. Find a spot on the clifftop, watch the waves crash against the chalk, and keep an eye on the sky — gannets and fulmars regularly drift past on the updrafts.

Nearby Danes Dyke is worth a detour too — a short walk through ancient woodland leads down to a sheltered beach tucked beneath the cliffs.

Flamborough sits between Spurn Point to the south and Bempton Cliffs to the north, making it a natural stop on any East Yorkshire coastal trip.

Bempton Cliffs — Half a Million Seabirds

Just up the coast from Flamborough sits Bempton Cliffs — an RSPB reserve that fills every sense.

Over half a million seabirds breed on these cliffs between March and September. June is the peak month — puffins are most active, gannet chicks are hatching, and the noise from the colony is genuinely astonishing. And the smell? Let's just say the sea breeze carries more than salt.

The clifftop viewing platforms are safe and accessible, and some of the gannets nest so close that a big telephoto lens feels like overkill. The puffins are trickier — they tuck themselves into crevices further down the cliff face, so a longer lens definitely helps there.

The RSPB visitor centre is a great place to start. Rangers are usually on hand with telescopes, happy to point out what's nesting where. The picnic tables make a nice lunch spot afterwards — just watch out for the Jackdaws, who will steal your sandwich the second you look away. (The Tree Sparrows, with their neat black cheek spots, are much better behaved.)

You can also book a boat trip from Bridlington to see the cliffs from the water — it's a spectacular view. One piece of advice from experience: if you have even a slight nervousness about heights, do the clifftop walk first. Looking up at 400-foot cliffs from a boat and knowing you'll be standing on top of them later can be... interesting.

These three locations are close enough to cover in a long weekend, or you can take them one at a time across different seasons. Each has its own character, its own wildlife, and its own way of pulling you back.

The East Yorkshire coast has a wild heart, and you don't need to be an endurance hiker to find it. You just need to know where to look.

Explore the Coast

About the Author

I'm a wildlife photographer who learns on everyday walks. This site is my field notebook: practical photo tips, gentle ID help, and walk ideas to help you see more — wherever you are. I write for people who care about doing this ethically, who want to enjoy the outing (not stress about the gear), and who'd like to come home with photos that match the memory — or at least the quiet satisfaction of time well spent.

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