ROE Wild Saunas, Flamborough
Book
A chalk sea stack off the cliffs at Flamborough Head

Things to do · Flamborough Head

Chalk, caves and a sky full of wings.

Flamborough Head is a great white thumb of chalk pushed out into the North Sea — sea caves, seabird cliffs, two lighthouses and a string of coves. This is our guide to it, from the beach where we light the sauna every weekend we can.

Plan a perfect dayBook a beach sauna
Coast
Heritage Coast
From Bridlington
about 5 miles
Puffins
Typically Apr–Jul
Sea caves
At low tide
Photo: Christine Johnstone · CC BY-SA 2.0

Start where the boats do

North Landing, at low water.

There’s a reason people have launched boats from North Landing for centuries: it’s one of the few breaks in these cliffs where you can get down to the sea. Park at the top, walk down the slipway and the cove opens up — a horseshoe of sand between high white walls of chalk.

Sea caves and rock pools

At low tide the beach widens and you can pick your way across the rocks to the mouths of the sea caves either side of the cove — Robin Lythe’s Cave is the best known. The rock pools between are full of life. Check today’s tide times before you set off, go on a falling tide and never let the sea get between you and the slipway.

The cobles and the old lifeboat station

You may see traditional Yorkshire fishing cobles drawn up on the slipway — this is still a working landing. Above them stands the old lifeboat station, which launched rescues from 1871 until 1993, down a slipway laid in 1890. Read its story in our history of the North Landing lifeboat.

A wood-fired sauna on the beach

On the sand beside the slipway is ROE, our wood-fired sauna. Come in from a cliff walk, sit in the heat with the sea a few steps away, then cool off in the salt air or the North Sea itself. See sessions and prices, or read the first-timer’s guide.

The Boathouse café

The old lifeboat house is now the Boathouse café, run by a local fishing family and known for its seafood. Check its opening times before you travel. Everything else you need — parking, the walk down, what to bring — is in our guide to visiting North Landing.

Round the headland

Lighthouses, arches and seabird cliffs.

From North Landing the coast runs east to the lighthouse and west towards Thornwick and Bempton. Each of these is a short drive — or a good walk — from the landing.

  1. The end of the land

    Flamborough Head & the lighthouse

    The headland proper is the blunt chalk nose at the eastern end of the peninsula, where the cliffs turn from facing north to facing south. The white lighthouse here dates from 1806 and still marks this coast for shipping.

    It’s a place to stand in the wind and look out: on a clear day the sea seems to go on for ever, and the clifftop grass is full of birds in summer.

    Good to know If you want to go inside the lighthouse, check visitor arrangements before you travel — they vary through the year.

  2. Below the lighthouse

    Selwicks Bay

    Tucked just below the lighthouse, Selwicks Bay is a small, dramatic bay of white rock ledges, stacks and boulders, close to the lighthouse car park. At low tide there’s a lot of shoreline to poke about on.

    Good to know Rocks are slippery with weed — go on a falling tide and check the tide times first.

  3. Arches & caves

    Thornwick Bay

    A short way along the cliffs from North Landing, Thornwick Bay is a jumble of chalk arches, caves and stacks. It’s one of the most photographed corners of the headland — especially in low evening light, when the chalk turns gold.

    Good to know Some caves can only be reached at low tide. Don’t go in on a rising tide, and never get cut off.

  4. Seabird city

    RSPB Bempton Cliffs

    Just up the coast, the chalk cliffs at Bempton are one of Britain’s great seabird colonies — gannets, kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills and fulmars packed onto every ledge. Clifftop viewpoints let you look straight down into the noise.

    Puffins are the ones everyone asks about. They’re typically on the cliffs from about April to July; at other times of year you’ll still see plenty, gannets especially.

    Good to know Check the RSPB’s website for opening times, parking and what’s being seen before you go.

Low sun on the chalk cliffs of Flamborough Head
Chalk, wind and wings —
the headland in one breath.Photo: Philip Pankhurst · CC BY-SA 2.0

The quieter side

South Landing, the Dyke and the village.

Turn the corner of the headland and the coast softens — wooded valleys, a sheltered cove and the village that holds it all together.

  1. The south side

    South Landing

    On the gentler, south-facing side of the headland, South Landing is a sheltered cove reached through a wooded little valley. It’s home to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Living Seas Centre — a good place to learn what lives in the water off this coast.

    It’s also where the RNLI runs Flamborough’s lifeboat today: an inshore station, the successor to the old boathouse at North Landing.

    Good to know Rock pooling here is best around low water. Check the Living Seas Centre’s own times before visiting.

  2. Ancient earthwork

    Danes Dyke

    Despite the name, this great bank and ditch across the neck of the headland is far older than the Danes — it’s generally thought to be prehistoric. Today it’s a woodland walk, with paths running down a leafy ravine to the shore on the south side.

    Good to know A good choice on a windy day — the trees take the edge off.

  3. Church & Old Lighthouse

    Flamborough village

    The village sits in the middle of the headland, a mile or so inland from both landings. St Oswald’s Church is the old parish church and worth a quiet look.

    Look out for the Old Lighthouse: a squat tower built of chalk in the 17th century, long before the present lighthouse — and it may never actually have been lit.

    Good to know The Old Lighthouse is best admired from outside — check locally if you’re hoping to see inside.

On foot

Walk the Headland Way.

The best way to understand Flamborough is to walk its edge. The Headland Way is a coastal route along the clifftops, linking the coves, the landings and the lighthouse — you don’t have to do it all to get the point of it.

Our favourite stretch

North Landing to the lighthouse is a clifftop walk of a couple of miles, with the sea on one side and fields on the other. Go one way and get a lift back, or walk it out and back and finish in the sauna. Thornwick Bay is a shorter wander in the other direction.

  • Stay well back from the edge — the chalk cliffs are high, unfenced in places and do crumble.
  • Wear proper shoes; the path can be muddy after rain.
  • Keep dogs on a lead near the cliffs and around nesting birds.
You don’t walk Flamborough Head so much as lean into it.

Five miles down the road

Things to do in Bridlington.

Bridlington is about 5 miles from Flamborough — roughly 12 minutes in the car — and makes an easy pairing with a day on the headland.

The harbour and the beaches

The working harbour sits in the middle of town, with long sandy beaches stretching away on both sides. Boat trips along the coast sometimes run from here in season — check with the operators for what’s on.

Sewerby Hall & Gardens

On the clifftop between Bridlington and Flamborough, Sewerby Hall is a historic house set in gardens and parkland with sea views. Check its own website for opening times before you go.

The Old Town

Away from the seafront, Bridlington’s Old Town and its priory church are worth an unhurried wander.

Bridlington → North Landing
about 12 min

About 5 miles by car

Sauna near Bridlington
ROE

Wood-fired, on the beach at North Landing

An itinerary

A perfect day at Flamborough Head.

Let the tide set the order. Check today’s tide times first, then shuffle these so you’re at the caves while the water is low.

  1. Morning

    A clifftop walk

    Start at the lighthouse and walk the Headland Way round to North Landing, or head to Bempton Cliffs early while the seabirds are at their busiest.

  2. Around low tide

    The caves at North Landing

    Walk down the slipway and explore the rock pools and sea-cave mouths while the tide is out. Keep an eye on your way back.

  3. Midday

    Into the heat

    A session in the wood-fired sauna on the sand, cooling off in the sea air — or the sea — between rounds. How to do hot and cold safely.

  4. Lunch

    The Boathouse

    Warm through with seafood at the Boathouse café in the old lifeboat house (check its opening times first).

  5. Afternoon

    Woods or the south side

    A gentle walk at Danes Dyke, or over to South Landing and the Living Seas Centre — then on to Bridlington harbour as the light goes. Got a group? Hire the whole sauna and make the day yours.

Good to know

Flamborough, answered.

What is there to do in Flamborough?

Explore the sea caves and rock pools at North Landing at low tide, walk the clifftops to the lighthouse and Selwicks Bay, see the arches at Thornwick Bay, watch seabirds at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, visit the Living Seas Centre at South Landing, walk the woods at Danes Dyke, and finish with a wood-fired beach sauna at North Landing.

Are there puffins at Flamborough Head?

Yes, in season. Puffins typically nest on the chalk cliffs around Flamborough Head and Bempton from about April to July, and RSPB Bempton Cliffs is the most reliable place to see them. Outside those months they are out at sea, so check recent sightings before you go.

Are there seals at Flamborough Head?

Sometimes. Grey seals are seen off Flamborough Head, but sightings are never guaranteed. Scan the water from the clifftops on a calm day, keep your distance and never disturb a seal hauled out on the rocks.

Can you walk into the caves at North Landing?

Only around low tide. The sea caves either side of North Landing, such as Robin Lythe’s Cave, can be reached across the beach and rocks when the tide is well out. Check the tide times first, go on a falling tide and leave plenty of time to get back — never get cut off.

How far is Flamborough from Bridlington?

About 5 miles — roughly 12 minutes by car from Bridlington to North Landing.

What are the best things to do in Bridlington?

Walk the harbour and watch the boats, spend time on the beaches either side of town, wander the Old Town and visit Sewerby Hall & Gardens on the clifftop towards Flamborough. Flamborough Head, about 5 miles away, adds sea caves, seabirds and clifftop walks.

Is there a sauna in Flamborough?

Yes. ROE Wild Saunas runs a wood-fired sauna on the beach at North Landing, Flamborough, beside the old lifeboat station slipway. It opens most weekends, weather allowing, and sessions are booked online.

There are no lifeguards at North Landing. Every guest gets a safety briefing, and we can only guide you on your time in the sauna.

More questions? See the full FAQ, what’s on, or give someone a day at the sea with a gift voucher.

End the day by the fire.

After the cliffs and the caves, sit in the heat with the sea a few steps away. We open most weekends, weather allowing.

Book a sessionGetting to North Landing

More from the landing

Keep exploring