ECP and GMT - Spurn Head Spit, Kilnsea - East Riding of Yorkshire 8 Dec 2016.

English Coastal Path and Greenwich Meridian Trail
Spurn Head Spit and Return
Kilnsea
East Riding of Yorkshire
Distance 10km
Thursday 8 December 2016

I was not going to write this walk up on my blog, but found it fascinating, an interesting place to visit. Totally unexpected, nothing planned it was just an opportunity that came up and so we took it. The day was all the better as our Danny was there and this was a place he had wanted to visit. Danny had been near to the area before and had read up a little on Spurn Head but had never walked to the Spit.

There is high tide warning all over the place and you have to take care as occasionally the tide comes up and turns the Spit into an island for a few hours. Fortunately for us that would not be today. I parked the car at the Blue Bell car park which is part of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Notices show this area was once an army camp and gun battery part of the coastal defence during WWII. There are also signs showing the environmental changes that have taken place to the coast line over the last few hundred years. Spurn is a National Nature Reserve. 

We left the car park and walked up to the coastal path and turned right heading south east down the coast. The weather was wet and it was not long before we were soaked. Visibility was poor and we could just about make out a couple of lads fishing off the beach.

Following the path along the top of the boulder clay we came to a sea hide for looking out at the sea wild life. As we approached the hide a bird which we had not seen took off. It was hard to identify the type of bird, no time to take a picture, all of a sudden it was there and then it was gone.

Dropping down passed the bird observatory we crossed onto a low lane where people could join a coastal safari along to the Spit. We just continued walking in the rain. After a few hundred meters there is another observation stand where you can watch migrating birds as they fly up and down the coast. A picture frame is standing on a pole from where I took this picture.

At this point a landrover passed on its way to the Spit. We passed more high tide warning signs as we moved onto the sand. A notice board shows the severe storms in 2013 destroyed a stone pathway across an area called the Washover. We could see the damage caused by the sea all along our walk.

Flocks of birds were flying up and down on the river side of the land. I am sure we saw loads of Brent Geese wading just off the shore.

Across the Washover there was a little incline passing a small shelter for people, if they are stuck on the Spit due to a high tide. The rain had eased a little as we passed another picture frame on a pole. This picture was better over the frame than through it.

The sandy path turned into a narrow road, in places it just stops and in others it is closed where you can see it has fallen over the side of the hill due to erosion. Train track cuts across the road leading to what is now open air.

We turned right off the road and headed towards some bird hides, on our way we startled a young Roe deer. From the hide we walked back down to the road where we passed a field of what we later found were Hebredian sheep. A little further on the road we followed a bird watcher sign off the road to our left. This took us down by a high concrete wall then to the top of the dunes by the North Sea. From our vantage point we could see a number of places that had been built and destroyed over the years. We then turned east to approach the lighthouse. Whilst reading the signs at the foot of the lighthouse, Danny spotted a number of Roe deer watching us from back along the side of the road. Unfortunately the photos have not come out clear enough to show here. The rain had finally stopped.

From the lighthouse we continued along the Spit. We passed a number of places that had information signs on what they had been used for, all very interesting.  The RNLI property covered quite a large area with garages and houses for their volunteers. Out at sea the life boat was cruising up and down the coast and estuary. We found a small raised place with steps up and down, from here we could see all around. We could see that lots of activity had taken place here over the many years, and was continuing today.

We worked our way through the bushes, along narrow tracks then down some wooden steps to the beach, this was as far as we could go. A signs shows, from here we are closer to Grimsby than Hull. Grimsby was 8 miles directly across the Humber estuary, Hull was 22 miles down the river. After a couple of photos where the river met the sea we turned to start our journey back.

We had passed many things that would have been used in coastal defence which were now overgrown with trees.

What an interesting place, on our way out we saw a plaque showing that the poet Philip Larkin used to cycle out here.

On our way back we took the sandy path up to our right following deer hoof prints.

A small climb over sand dunes and we reached the long beach on the North Sea side of the Spit. Looking back we could see the sky clear and brighten a little.

In places the sand made walking difficult and we again could see the work of nature and the power in the sea. Due to the large broken pieces of concrete piled on the side.

On reaching the Washover we saw a number of seals in the sea to our right, some were coming quite close to the beach. Again I took a number of photos which unfortunately are not good enough for my blog. Which is disappointing.

Once over the Washover we walked up the rise to the top of the bolder clay to the footpath and passed by the sea hide. We did not need a sea hide to watch a seal that was following us as we walked along the coast. He was fishing in the same spot as the fishermen we had passed earlier in the day.

Visibility had improved, we could now see a wind farm off the coast to our right. Earlier in the day we couldn't see this.

It was then a short walk back to the car park. What a lovely days walking, all the better because Danny was with me. It was not a strenuous walk no climb, although walking on the sand was difficult in places. We had covered approx 10km. Looking at the time we were surprised at how late it was, so after a quick cup of coffee it was into the car for the drive home.

Following a walk on 6 March 2021 along a part of the Greenwich Meridian Trail GMT Kneesworth to Buntingford, I learnt that this walk Spurn Head Spit is also on the GMT. I have now amended the heading to show this.

More to follow


Boz North

Details correct at time of walking.

If you have enjoyed reading my walk or found it useful you may also like to read other walks I have done on The English Coastal Path and Greenwich Meridian Trail or other areas. Please check out the links on the right hand side.