Thread: St Bees
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Old 25-06-2006, 04:26 PM
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Tornado Tornado is offline
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Lancashire (Rossendale Valley)
Posts: 282
Re: St Bees

Yes been there three times and what a treat the third time. We went for a long weekend and stayed near Ravenglass and traveled to St Bees one morning in June (around 20th each time) the three years were very diffrent. The first time it hammered down and was cold and windy but we walked up the hillside steps to see the Fulmars Great Black-backed Gulls and of course the inevetable Herring Gulls but, the weather was turning bad so we headed back to the car park. The Second visit we parked in a small village called Sandwith and walked up to the headland from there. A short while up the road and it splits the first year from Sandwith we took the left track. This was a heathland track, the wildflowers and butterflies were superb but, as none of us were particularly interested in any of them at that time, marched along to the headland. We saw Yellow Hammer in the Hawthorn and Stonechat sat out on the walls just before reaching the cliffs. Once at the cliffs we saw Razorbills, Great Black-Backed Gulls, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Herring Gull, Cormorant, Puffin (out at sea) Black Guillemot and Guillemot and on the heathland Meadow Pipit and heard Skylark.
The third vist we again parked at Sandwith, walked to where the road forks and took the right hand track. This was where my husband and I saw our first "wild" Barn Owl, she was out hunting in the fields, probably had a young family to feed. It was one of the most memorable things I have seen and will stay with me for years to come. We then took the walk to the "hide" (a small dug out on the cliffs!!) this time no Black Guillemot but plenty of Razorbill, Fulmar, Puffin, Cormorant, and the "Gulls"! On the way back we had another suprise in the shape of a Mole! what a beautiful little creature and often never seen! We had a great time even though each visit was diffrent. I'm sure you will enjoy yourselves it's a great walk even if you're not there for the birds!!
Words of wisdom.... take a fleece or jumper as the cliffs can be rather cool and remember to use sunscreen even if it's overcast!!! We forgot and looked like beetroots for days
Still never put us off though! Great place
Tornado
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