Bempton Cliffs is one of the best places in the UK to watch puffins without setting foot on an island. More than 250,000 seabirds cram onto its sheer white ledges each breeding season, including gannets, razorbills, and guillemots. The reserve is run by the RSPB, so you’ll find well-surfaced paths, cliff-edge viewing platforms, and volunteers with scopes ready to help you pick out puffins among the thousands of other birds. Here’s the ultimate guide to puffin spotting at Bempton Cliffs, covering everything from peak visiting months to the best viewing platforms.
How to get to Bempton Cliffs
Bempton Cliffs is in East Yorkshire, and the easiest way to get there is by car. It’s around an hour drive from York and Hull. There’s a decent-sized car park on-site, and parking is free.
Entry to the reserve costs £8 per adult (as of 2025), but it’s completely free for RSPB members. The visitor centre has toilets and a small café, along with plenty of information boards and friendly volunteers to help you make the most of your visit.
Best time to see puffins at Bempton Cliffs
Puffins arrive at Bempton Cliffs between March and August, but for the best chance of seeing them, try to visit between May and July. That’s when they’re busy feeding their chicks and darting in and out of their cliffside burrows.
Tips for seeing the puffins at Bempton Cliffs
- Work your way along the series of clifftop platforms; each offers a different angle into the nesting ledges, and volunteers often have telescopes trained on a puffin hotspot. Our personal favourite was the last platform to the right (as you walk from the visitor centre), where we spotted the most puffin activity during our visit.
- If you’re struggling to spot one, watch the sea: puffins often circle in from offshore before zeroing in on a burrow, giving you a clue where to look.
- Bring binoculars or a zoom lens, but also spend time standing still. The birds sometimes settle surprisingly close if you’re patient.
- Remember to look beyond puffins. Bempton is one of the best places to see gannets on the UK’s mainland, and you can also see razorbills, kittiwakes, fulmars, and even barn owls quartering the meadows. On calm days, keep an eye offshore for porpoises, dolphins, or the occasional whale.
- For a different perspective, hop aboard the Yorkshire Belle from nearby Bridlington for a boat trip to Bempton Cliffs. Cruising beneath the cliffs gives you the chance to spot puffins on the water and take in the full scale of the seabird colony.
Other top puffin-watching spots around the UK
If Bempton whets your appetite, consider visiting Skomer Island or the Farne Islands for even closer encounters, where boat landings allow you to share the footpaths with puffins at ground level.
