Explore Bempton to Buckton Walk

Moderate Difficulty Walk of 4 miles Distance

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

Details for Bempton to Buckton Walk

• Reference: E3
• Circular walk: Circular
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Walk type: Coast and Beach Walks
• 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

Further information

Features of interest

• There are five viewing areas on the Bempton to Bucton walk 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.

Accessibility

The Bempton to Buckton walk contains some gentle slopes.- contains a mixture of stiles and gates.- may involve walking through fields with livestock.- crosses at least one road.- contains surfaces which can be boggy in wet weather.- contains some uneven surfaces.

Additional information

– Take care when using the cliff top path and admiring the birds.- St Michael’s Church in Bempton is worth a visit. Built in the 12th Century, it features an attractive stained glass window depicting St Francis, Bempton Cliffs and seabirds.