If you’ve ever visited the East Riding of Yorkshire you’ll know it’s jam-packed with hidden gems from the deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy, the Rudston monolith, the tallest prehistoric standing stone in Britain, and the beautiful village of Sledmere with its red brick houses and stunning stately home.

In fact, the Yorkshire Wolds so inspired artist David Hockney that he’s spent many years of his life painting its awe-inspiring scenery – you can see evidence of his inspiration everywhere you look!

One of our favourite hidden gems is the RSPB nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs – over five kilometres of sea cliffs which, from April to October, is home to England’s largest population of seabirds. The grassland at the top of the cliffs is also home to breeding and wintering farmland birds.

We visited the cliffs last weekend and are pleased to report that it’s already teeming with bird life. We spotted gannets and guillemots, as well as puffins, but there are also razorbills, kittiwakes and linnets to be seen, as well as many other species of birds.

The view from the cliffs really is breathtaking, in more ways than one, on a windy day it can quite literally take your breath away!

If you’re in the area, the Bempton Cliffs reserve really is worth a visit. When you see the towering cliffs it’s hard to image how the eggs can last long enough to hatch into chicks, never mind the chicks surviving to adulthood!

Watch this footage from the BBC’s Springwatch programme filmed at the beginning of the breeding season this time last year and you’ll see what we mean…