UPDATE: Reviews section refreshed, redesigned, searchable: Go take a look
I decided that I'd really like to see a Puffin (and a Guillemot and a Razorbill and...) so on Sunday we are heading across to that Yorkshire to stay at Saltburn by the Sea and nipping to Brempton Cliffs and Flamborough Head to do a bit of birdwatching. We will be there for a couple of days. Anyone been there and got any useful info before we go?
Saltburn and Flamborough are some distance apart, very scenic drive between over t'moors.
I know. We struggled to get dog friendly digs for the time available. As you say, it's a nice drive between them. A few possible stopping points too.
Bempton Cliffs are great.
Puffins are sadly few and far between in that area. However there are always RSPB volunteers around the platforms and they will guide you if they spot one.
At Flamborough head, again there will be keen birders around with good binoculars or scopes to share their 'spot' with.
Patience is the key, scanning every nook and cranny along the cliffs. Usually there might be a small crowd around a puffin spot and then someone will point the bird out.
They are one of my favourite birds, very cute and charismatic. I really hope you get to see one or two.
Edit: forgot to mention there will be a lot of razor bills, guillemot (bridal guillmot) and gannets, Kittwakes and fulmar (part of the albatross family).
Thank you! I spotted I'd spelt 'Bempton' wrongly too late!
Great place, as above, not so great for puffins but if there are any around people will happily point them out. It gets very very very busy though. You can go early, and its less busy, but the people that are there are very competitive middle aged photographers with sharp elbows. I tend to go 4.30-5.30 (before the worst toggers arrive) and then leave, and come back at about 7pm for the owls.
Number of puffins I spotted at Bempton = zero. Still a cracking couple of hours watching birds though. Also had a wander along the coast in the sunshine to the Buckland Cliffs trig point for a photo with that.
Head for the Farne Islands and book a boat trip that lands on Inner Farne - loads of puffins, guillemots, razorbills, eider ducks, arctic terns (vicious little buggers...) etc. I was out that way at the end of May/start of June:
Lundy, after a rat eradication effort, has a good population of puffins in recent years. Also many of the Inner Hebrides, we had one hopping over our feet on Staffa one time. Don't remember seeing much in the way of guillemots, razorbills etc on either of those, I will admit, although skuas were present
Best puffins we ever encountered (plus multiple storm peterel) was the Skelligs for a proper trip...
I will admit, although skuas were present
Nicholas Crawford, on Fb, who rehabilitates Ravens and other corvids from the pet trade on Shetland was saying the other day that there’s a Bonxie around, and it flew over his garden, so he’s restricting the amount of time his birds can get out and free-fly; a skua will happily take a goose, a raven would stand no chance!
A friend went to Flamborough today - lots of gannets and a few puffins apparently. Took a long while to find the puffins though.
I agree with @Pyro.
Head a bit further North to Seahouses and take a trip to the Farne Islands. I am biased as I live and work here.
We had a pod of Orcas visit a few times this year again.
Plenty of dolphins about as well.
At the top side of Flamborough head between the Lighthouse and Bempton Cliffs you'll find two bays, Thornwick and North Landing, both beautiful places and worth a visit. I was down at North Landing for their Puffin festival a few weeks ago and there were a few nests on the edge of the first inlet on the right hand side of the beach, just past where the sand ends and the rocks begin. There's also some pretty good caves to check out if you so wish.
Just watch the tides in North Landing, they're easy to misjudge as a lot of the base of the cliff is exposed and you can go quite far out, staying dry but not realising it's turned behind you and cut off your route back in.
My best Puffin sitting by far have been Skomar off Pembrokeshire. I don’t think they walked over my foot but they did walk across some one’s foot.
I’ve seen them on the Farne’s but not as close
I’ve seen them whilst i was kayaking in the Isles of Scilly. As you approach Annet you see them on the water and in the air
My best Puffin sitting by far have been Skomar off Pembrokeshire. I don’t think they walked over my foot but they did walk across some one’s foot.
Yes, Skomer. We had seen plenty of puffins in flight and on the sea, but at a distance, and my wife complained that we hadn't seen them 'properly' and then we walked around a corner and literally tripped over thousands of them, staring at us quizzically within touching distance.
We went to Bempton a couple of years ago and saw Puffins but they were hard to spot and mainly a long way down and rather fast for binoculars and quite small by eye.
From Saltburn I'd recommend going North of the Tees to Saltholme for bird watching. Lots of variety and stop to see the seals where the road crosses Greatham Creek a couple of miles further along. It took nearly 2 hours to get to Bempton from Saltburn as you need to go through Scarborough which can be very slow.
You will also see plenty of waders in Saltburn and the dunes near Redcar. Sandlings, plovers and oystercatchers love the dunes and beach. If you head up onto the moors you will likely see curlew and lapwings on the high part of the moor towards Castleton or round Lockwood Beck reservoir.
Have a great time spotting and doing seaside stuff.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/saltholme
@MrSparkle we went last year and stopped at a campsite South of Bempton. We saw lots of puffins near there and lots at Bempton, some nests were very close and almost at the cliff top. The gannets were the most spectacular though, you could almost touch them! We also saw a chap with lots of parrots - he was staying on our campsite! 
Taken with my phone, At and along near Bempton Cliffs, the RSPB bit. There is a public footpath down so no need to pay, parking is free, but we joined up and never regretted it. You can set your own membership fee! It was May though so you’re towards the end of the season now. Good luck, report back!
Will do!
Thanks all.
I paddled around Flamborough Head and Bempton cliffs a few weeks ago (keeping a sensible distance from the cliffs and paddling slowly and gently around rafted auks). It was an awesome experience. I have paddled around all kinds of sea bird cliffs like Handa, Skomer, Treshnish, etc but to see that number of birds on mainland cliffs was amazing. It was a truly memorable way to spend my 60th birthday! There were quite a few puffins around. The gannets were spectacular.
Update:
https://bsky.app/profile/darwendashers.bsky.social/post/3mpwfqpxubk2u
Will put pics from the ‘good camera’ up later! Went to Flanborough on the way up. Parked for £2. Had veggie breakfast at café. Went to beach. Immediately saw Puffins. Strolled along the cliff. Saw more. Perfect!
Another update:
We were on our way home today so went to Bempton as we passed. It was pretty busy and tricky to get anywhere near when anyone spotted a Puffin. We carried on along the cliff until there was no one else about. Eventually we started to get our eyes in and spot Puffins among the Razorbills.
Eventually we started toddling back towards the car park. We passed one of the guys who works there who was training his camera out to sea and talking to someone next to him. We realised that he’d spotted whales! We stopped and had a look ourselves and managed to spot them ourselves! Couldn’t get photos but we both saw the Minke whales. Apparently there was an adult and two adolescents.
How cool is that?!
The Puffin is great to see and if you live near the sea on the East coast they are quite easy to spot
More spectacular is seeing gannets when there is a shoal of fish close to the shore diving at speed and popping back up with a fish
Earlier in the year a lot of seabirds many puffins were wiped out due to bad weather constantly from the East
Really pleased for you, that not only did you get to see the puffins, but whales as well. Sounds like a super trip.
@MrSparkle - you should try and go over to Parkgate on the Wirral at high tide. Lots of raptures there, Kestrel, short eared owls, peregrine falcons, marsh harriers and if you're lucky hen harriers. Again there are usually people around to let you look into their scopes if you haven't got good binoculars.
@bunnyhop Noted. Thanks for that!
I'm still buzzing tbh. We got home yesterday and I took the dogs out late on. I saw a pair of Barn Owls hunting and returning to their nest in a stables. Then spotted a deer on the way back too. It was quite a day all in all!
We've just booked a boat trip to the inner farne islands including landing for the following weekend.
NB there's a NT charge for landing, free for members.
