Bempton Cliff advice

[rob-nikon]

i thinking of making a visit to Bempton Cliffs again. It’s been six years since I last went so do remember everything about the visit and things change. I have a few questions:

Is there access outside of the visitor centre opening hours?

How is light at sunrise and sunset?

Is parking available outside visiting hours?

Does the visitors centre now have a cafe?

Any help would be very appreciated.

 

[Ganton Gunner]

yes there is gated access to the left side out of hours.
yes you can still park out of hours.
yes there is a basic cafe drinks cakes etc but not meals.
seems pretty light when sunny but not so when overcast

 

[old bloke]

yes there is gated access to the left side out of hours.
yes you can still park out of hours.
yes there is a basic cafe drinks cakes etc but not meals.
seems pretty light when sunny but not so when overcast

As above it definitely pays to get their early before the crowds arrive Iv'e been going for a few years now seems to be getting busier every year.

 

[rob-nikon]

yes there is gated access to the left side out of hours.
yes you can still park out of hours.
yes there is a basic cafe drinks cakes etc but not meals.
seems pretty light when sunny but not so when overcast

As above it definitely pays to get their early before the crowds arrive Iv'e been going for a few years now seems to be getting busier every year.

Thanks for the replies. It's a about 3-4 hours drive for me so my plan would be to arrive early-mid afternoon and shoot until sunset. I'm planning to stay over locally so I can visit again sunrise until late morning, then head home in the afternoon. Hopefully that means I miss the busier parts of the day. With sunrise so early and sunset so late hopefully that gives so time either side of the crowds.

 

[boogie 16]

The cliffs face east So the light can be superb for dawn or early morning shooting, The light can also be very harsh and difficult in full sun with a cloudless sky as it reflects off the white cliffs.

 

[the black fox]

Iv’e always found that due to the vagaries of weather and visitors that a couple of days is not enough is not enough time to do it justice .especially if your a first timer .the best spots on the viewing platforms are often a very tight squeeze and sometimes taken up by selfish people for a couple of hours at a time

 

[rob-nikon]

The cliffs face east So the light can be superb for dawn or early morning shooting, The light can also be very harsh and difficult in full sun with a cloudless sky as it reflects off the white cliffs.

Excellent sounds good. Bright harsh sun would be the worse light conditions but I would take any weather really as I can plan to visit in specific light conditions with limited time and being so far away.

Iv’e always found that due to the vagaries of weather and visitors that a couple of days is not enough is not enough time to do it justice .especially if your a first timer .the best spots on the viewing platforms are often a very tight squeeze and sometimes taken up by selfish people for a couple of hours at a time

Unfortunately I only really have a two day window I could visit this year due to other commitments. I would love to go for longer but it’s not really an option until about the start of July. I last went 6 years ago so have a little idea what to expect but it’s good to get an idea of what’s changed. I’m planning on taking a monopod as I remember there wasn’t always room for tripods. I don’t usually use a strap on the camera/lens but I’m definitely going to use one, I don’t want the camera/lens disappearing over the edge! I remember how high they were from last time.

I’m not too bothered if someone takes up a space on the viewing platforms for ages. Having visited public hides for kingfishers and been on workshops I know how it can be and some people are (although the same can be said for someone who turns just at the right time expecting everyone to move who may have been waiting for a few hours having seen nothing but putting the time in). Im happy to wait for someone else to finish up if I really want an image from that spot. If not I will just try somewhere else along the cliff. Most of the time I actually avoid crowds on purpose so I’m often away from the crowd trying to get something a little different rather than taking the same image as several others are taking.

One of the reasons I’m planning to visit late Sunday and early Monday is I’m hoping to be outside of the peak crowds, if anyone gets there at 5am and takes up one of the best spots for a few hours then fair play to them!