If you would like an expert walking guide to accompany you on this walk Boot Routes can help…
Spurn Point is a stunning location, with some spectacular wildlife, and well worth a visit for anyone with an interest in the natural world. Our walk starts at the car park opposite the Spurn Discovery Centre. (Grid ref TA 41713 15446). Cost of parking is £5 for the day and you can pay for your parking ticket by card in the Café so you don’t need a pocket full of change. There is also limited free parking at the side of the road from the car park towards the gate at Warren Head, but your £5 parking fee does go towards helping maintain this special place.
Spurn Point is the UK’s newest Island and after the great storm of 2013 which washed away the road, access to the point is no longer passable at high tide. The walk is approximately 8 miles (4 miles each way) and is best timed so that the tide is on its way out as you cross onto the point. Please allow plenty of time to make it back before the next high tide or you may be stranded for a while, but there is a little hut to shelter in inclement weather if you do get caught out by the tide. Click here for tide times https://tides4fishing.com/uk/england/spurn-head#_tide_table
As the point is a nature reserve strictly no dogs are allowed.
From the car park head South and just after the entrance to the Discovery Centre there is a footpath to your left. You can either walk parallel to the road on the grass or head East towards the coast line and then South towards the Seawatch Hide. This hide is frequented by people with telescopes who monitor the sea for migrating birds, cetaceans (Dolphins and Whales), and it’s always worth a quick chat with them to see what’s about. Alternatively visit the Spurn Bird Observatory Hub on your way here, and see their digital information board which always details rare sightings.
From the hide continue South and down onto the beach, here you are advised to keep to the left. The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has a truck that crosses over the sands several times a day which runs down the middle. There are numerous breeding birds on the beach to the right, which include Knot, Sanderling, Oystercatchers, Curlews, Common Tern, Ringed Plover and numerous other wading birds, but you are encouraged to keep away from them during nesting season.
Once over the sands find the obvious concrete track down the middle of the island, which will take you more or less to the end of the point.
On the next section keep an eye out for Kestrel hunting at the side of the track, they can get quite close and offer some fantastic photographic opportunities. During the summer months there are also a multitude of different butterflies including Red Admiral and Common Blues. On the bushes you will see hundreds of Brown-tail moth caterpillars, which have small barbed hairs that can cause irritation to the skin and eyes, so please don’t handle them.
There are also some stunning plants here including Sea Buckthorn, Marram Grass, Sea Holly, and Sea Bindweed, characterised by its small, flashy leaves and large pink and white flowers.
As you progress South on the Point you will see some bird hides and nature trails to the right (Most of the wildlife is to the right, estuary side), these are worth a visit and make for a pleasant alternative to following the concrete track. At these bird hides I have seen Roe Deer, Marsh Harrier and even a Golden Oriol. Eventually you will arrive at the lighthouse, which is well worth a visit if its open.
At the lighthouse continue South towards the Lifeboat Station. This is the only life boat station in the UK with a full time crew, and they have carried out some outstanding rescues over its 200 year history. Continue through the life boat village and pick up one of the many footpaths that continue to the end of the point.
Once you pop out of the woods and sand dunes you will arrive onto a beach where you may well see large cargo ships and passenger ferries passing by in front of you. Here you may also be lucky enough to see some Grey seals, the adults can be seen bobbing around in the waters around the point, and at certain times of the year you may find young ones on the beaches here. Please keep your distance, they are protected wild animals, they can bite and your desire to get close to them may drive them into the water where believe it or not they can drown.
At the end of the point is a great place to stop, have a picnic and watch the busy shipping lane in front of you. Once you’ve had enough ship watching turn left and follow the beach back to the start checking out many of the old concrete World War 2 look out posts on the way.
Back at the start, the Discovery Centre is worth a visit for a cup of coffee and some gorgeous home made cakes. Hope you enjoy the walk, and please feel free to let us know of any updates or recommended alternatives.
