RSPB Bempton Cliffs — Attraction in Bempton

We visited on 31/5/25 , midday .It was very warm and bright and at the tail end of school holidays.We are RSPB members and have always throughly enjoyed our visits.

This visit was marred somewhat by the chaotic parking process, it isn't a place you can pre-book a vehicle but perhaps that's the way forward.We drove up the road to the entrance, there was no indication that the parking was overwhelmed.

We queued in the one way system for about 10 minutes to be then told..." You can't remain here, it's needed for emergency access", which was ridiculous as the access was already compromised by their system.Then we asked what are options were to be told we had to go round and join the back of the queue again, we refused and informed the parking attendant we were not prepared to do her absurd suggestion ,and told her we could follow the car queuing in front as we had been.

The problem seemed to arise by the lack of car park attendant on the main road in and then the randomness of the parking, it seemed grossly unfair ,some in the queue were directed in, others told to rejoin the queue, quite the most stupid process I've ever encountered.We eventually parked after roughly 40 mins.

Having said all that Bempton is a wonderful place, we love the viewing platforms, the majority of the staff were very helpful , we saw puffins( the highlight as usual for us) and spent a wonderful 2 hrs there.

The cafe queues were horrendous so didn't bother and the shop was busy but manageable but off putting due to the crowds.

Please find a way to manage the parking better, we have walked from Bempton village before so we can't be accused of being annoying drivers, but on this occasion it was a flying visit from central England and alot of effort to get there.

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Just like a few others reviews of mine, I believe I've reviewed RSPB Bempton before, but, it's always worth another. You don't have to be a bird watcher or photographer to appreciate this extraordinary reserve. The coastline itself is dramatic on its own, the chalk cliffs rise up to nearly 400 feet, providing nesting places during Spring & into summer for up half a million different sea bird species, including, Gannets, Razorbills, Guillemots, Fulmars, Kitiwakes & of course Puffins, on top of the cliffs within the meadow flowers, grasses, hedges & trees, you'll find a whole host of woodland birds, which provide a beautiful chorus of song throughout the day, a contrast to the squawking of the seabirds. The edge of the cliffs within the reserve are fenced & wired for safe viewing, with several viewing platforms spaced along the clifftops. Beyond the reserve, there are no barriers, so please be careful & stay away from the cliff edges, this is a very active coastline where erosion is constant. Near to the visitor centre, are a few viewing areas for watching the woodland birds on feeders. The visitor centre is excellent, it includes a cafe & a gift/souvenir shop. The shop sells a large range of products, from fridge magnets to clothing, (note, I find the shop quite expensive, but, it all goes to a good cause. If you need information about the reserve & its wildlife, there are plenty of very knowledgeable staff on hand to help you, the opportunity is also available for visitors to join the RSPB if they wish. There is a large parking area, but during main season the car park can fill up quite quickly. I highly recommend a visit to...

An RSPB reserve which is free to enter and park for members. If you visit an RSPB site even once a month it’s worth becoming a member and a great way to support them.

Bempton is a stunning reserve, especially at this time of year with hundreds of thousands of migratory birds starting to nest. We saw gannets, puffins, razor bills, guillemot, kittiwakes, gulls on the cliffs. On the land side we could see and hear skylark and there were sparrows in the hedges near the reserve cafe.

The cliffs are just extraordinary. There are walks with regular viewing platforms to give you good views of the birds in the cliffs and in flight

It was the first day of the Easter holidays when we visited and the car park was pretty full, as was the café queue. There’s a good shop, and the café was quick to serve despite the length of the queue. There’s indoor seating and plenty of outdoor seating and good, well maintained toilets. The shop isn’t massive but has all the good stuff a you’d expect in an RSPB shop (books, guides, binoculars and scopes etc) as well as general birding gifting and lots of items specific to the birds the reserve is famous for - puffins and gannets.

Afterwards, we popped up to Flamborough head just a few miles away to see the seals on the cove and the lighthouse. If you’ve made a trip to visit Bempton then it’s well worth popping there where the scenery is equally dramatic, though there are nowhere near as many birds. You can also walk in...