Bempton to Buckton--About Bridlington

Bempton to Buckton

Bempton to Buckton

Walk upon a cliff top footpath and admire England's largest seabird colony.

Start Point	R.S.P.B. visitor centre at Bempton Cliffs
End Point	R.S.P.B. visitor centre at Bempton Cliffs
Towns & Villages	Bempton and Buckton
Parish	Bempton
Start Easting	519,645.00
Start Northing	473,842.00
End Easting	519,645.00
End Northing	473,842.00

Details
Circular Walk	Yes
Grade	Moderate
Ordnance Survey Explorer Map	301
Car Parking Facility	Bempton Cliffs (charges may apply)
Refreshments	Pub and tea shop in Bempton
Public Conveniences	R.S.P.B. visitor centre (when open), Flamborough North Landing
Distance Distance(Miles)	4
Distance (Kilometres)	6.4

The Walk

After parking in the car park, access the cliff top path via the R.S.P.B. visitor centre (opened in 1992). Each day, helpful staff members display the types and numbers of birds which can be seen on the cliffs.
From the viewing area, follow the cliff top path past Moses Downgate and Barlett Nab, and then past the former RAF radar station which had its control room cut deep in the chalk. Gannets can usually be seen along this section but please take care when trying to spot the birds.
The gentle sweep of Filey Bay is in front of you and many caravan sites can be seen on the cliff top. In summer the sands are filled with holidaymakers, but you're unlikely to meet more than a handful of other intrepid explorers along this section of Flamborough Head.
For the stroll to Speeton continue along the cliff top past Buckton Cliffs, the highest part of the headland, to Speeton village. To the south you will see Buckton Hall, a solitary building created in 1744 for John Robinson.
For the circular walk, leave the cliff top and follow a field headland, then track, to Buckton. The track is known as Hoddy Cows Lane and its gorse bushes attract many migrating birds. One explanation for the track's name is the Hoddy Crow, a bird similar to the Norwegian Crow which once frequented the area. The ponds in the fields also attract migratory birds and wintering birds. You will see the site of a medieval village in the field to the west.
On reaching the road, turn left and walk through Buckton. Next turn right along Bolam Lane to the railway line. Turn left and follow the signed public footpath across fields to Bempton. This path runs past the medieval village of Newsham and the 'bumps' and track-ways of the old village can still be seen.
After passing the village pond, turn left and cross the main road near the blue slated village inn. Follow the road northwards back to the car park.In spring and summer the walk to the cliffs is quiet, but once at the cliffs you'll discover the largest seabird colony in England.

Features of Interest

- There are five viewing areas where you can marvel at the thousands of seabirds swirling about and nesting on the sheer 300 feet high cliff. You will be amazed to see birds clinging to the cliff face and building nests upon narrow ledges.
- Puffins, with their multi-coloured beaks, nest low down in deep crevices in June and July.
- The stars of the cliffs must be the gannets, best seen from the third viewpoint westwards. Gannets are about the size of geese and have wingspans of up to six feet. Gannets started nesting at Bempton in the 1920s and by 1969 numbered 21 pairs. By 1986 the colony had grown to 650 breeding pairs, and R.S.P.B. information boards will tell you today's number. Gannets are spectacular and graceful birds which plunge into the sea from as high as one hundred feet, grasping mackerel or herring in dagger-like bills. The birds arrive in Bempton in January and February and lay eggs in early April. Chicks hatch in May and leave in late August or September. In their first winter, chicks have been known to fly as far south as the west coast of Africa.
- At one time Buckton Hall had four storeys and a double pitched roof. However, a fire in 1919 resulted in the erection of a flat roof which now looks rather austere and lonely.