St Bees Head

Following the latest clear instructions from the Government for us all to remain at home, we are closing our reserves to visitors until further notice. Please see our COVID19 updates page to stay up to date with developments at RSPB.

Address: RSPB St Bees Head, Beach Rd, Saint Bees CA27 0EN

Grid ref: NX959118

See our updates page for the latest coronavirus information.

St Bees Head supports northwest England's only cliff-nesting seabird colony, which is situated between Whitehaven and St. Bees in west Cumbria. Three viewing points give you superb views of the colony and on a clear day you can see the Isle of Man across the sea.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Children: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

No visitor centre
Car park off-site
Toilets off-site
Accessible toilets off-site
No Refreshments
Picnic area
Viewing point
Shop off-site

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

St Bees station is 0.75 mile (1.25 km) from the reserve.

By road

From St Bees village, take Beach Road, parking in the shore-front car park at the end. Access to the reserve is via the path over the metal footbridge at the north end of the promenade.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

The reserve may also be accessed on foot by the private road from Sandwith village to St Bees lighthouse, or via the cliff-top path south from Whitehaven or Kells.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

13 degrees, Sunny day

Contact St Bees Head

RSPB St Bees Head, Beach Rd, Saint Bees CA27 0EN
stbees.head@rspb.org.uk
01697 351330
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Fulmar

Watch for their trademark stiff-winged flight around the cliffs.

Guillemot

Although ungainly above water, underwater they are agile and manoeuvrable.

Herring gull

At St Bees, they nest around the cliffs and look for other seabirds to rob of their food.

Kittiwake

Visit St Bees in spring and early summer and your ears will be filled with their unmistakable calls.

Razorbill

Razorbills spend most of their lives at sea in the Atlantic, only coming to land to breed between March and July.

Nature spectacles

Search for England’s only nesting black guillemots around Fleswick Bay.

Fulmars and herring gulls begin to gather on the cliffs. Early mornings through April and May can be a good time to see black guillemots around Fleswick Bay, which separates North Head from South Head.

The viewpoints on North Head reveal thousands of guillemots crammed onto their breeding ledges. Kittiwakes, razorbills, herring gulls and fulmars are all easy to see. Look back from North Head across Fleswick Bay to South Head to view the 100-strong cormorant colony. Linnets, stonechats, whitethroats and rock pipits sing from the heath and gorse along the cliff-top.

Once the birds have left the cliffs in July, the bracing cliff-top path with spectacular views across the Irish Sea still makes a visit worthwhile.

About St Bees Head

Habitat

The reserve comprises sandstone cliffs on the edge of the Irish Sea, with a narrow strip of cliff top grassland.

Conservation

The seabird colony is protected from disturbance by the regulation of climbing on the cliffs through the season, and monitored as part of the national JNCC Seabird Monitoring Programme to assess the fortunes of our seabirds and look into reasons for declines such as disturbance, over-fishing or climate change.

Site information

Blow away the cobwebs with a bracing walk along the cliff top path, and you can see across to the Isle of Man on a clear day. In spring and summer, you'll want to stop at our three viewpoints to marvel at the largest seabird colony in north-west England.

Minsmere

Coombes Valley

Arne

St Bees Head