Hunt Cliff

Hunt Cliff in summer is awash with the clamorous calls of kittiwakes. The birds arrive back at the colonies from February, having spent all the winter months at sea, and they stay until August.

Location

Cat Nab

Saltburn

Teesside

TS12 1HF

Know before you go

Entry fee

Free

Parking information

Pay and display on Saltburn seafront at Cat Nab

Walking trails

The reserve itself is a maritime cliff edge with sloping grassland and cannot be accessed. However, there are great views from the Cleveland Way coastal path.

Access

While there is a steeply sloping path that avoids the steps up onto the headland, there are a number of gates that restrict access. The sloping path up is surfaced, but the coastal path is unsurfaced and uneven. Care should be taken as the coastal path is exposed and occasionally comes close to the cliff edge.

All access from Saltburn seafront is steeply sloping onto the cliff top, but from there, paths are generally fairly level. All paths are unsurfaced and undulating. There are no paths through the cliff slope and visitors should remain on the coastal path.

Dogs

On a lead

There are no dog waste bins on the reserve. KEEP DOGS ON A LEAD – CLEAR UP AFTER YOUR ANIMALS – DON’T DISTURB THE WILDLIFE. Thank you!

When to visit

Opening times

Always open - note no access onto reserve itself

Best time to visit

Anytime - note no access onto reserve itself

About the reserve

The reserve itself is a maritime cliff edge with sloping grassland and cannot be accessed. However, there are great views from the Cleveland Way coastal path.

Access to the cliff top is via the Cleveland Way which leaves Saltburn Seafront next to the Ship Inn. The cliff face can also be viewed from the beach. This site is well-served by car parks at Saltburn and a well-constructed footpath (with steps) runs to the cliff top.

Interpretive panels at the Ship Inn describe the area’s geological interest and at the top of Hunt Cliff a panel describes the bird life and flora of the area. Further along the coast path are a number of artworks linked to the Heritage Coast.

The Hunt Cliff reserve forms part of the cliffs at Saltburn, with Hunt Cliff being among the highest cliffs on the East Coast of England. The cliff face is of regional importance for nesting kittiwakes and other seabirds such as fulmar and cormorant. You can watch sea birds from the beach at Saltburn, or from the cliff top as they soar on thermals or return to their nests with food for their young. Kittiwakes can be distinguished from other gulls by their ‘ink-dipped’ black wing-tips.

The cliffs are also of interest for their house martin colony – a rare example of this bird nesting in its original, natural habitat.

In summer, the cliff top provides a splash of colour as many wildflowers begin to show on the coastal grasslands, including the scarce dyer’s greenweed, three species of orchid, and other plants such as spiny restharrow, sea plantain and wild carrot.

Seawatching in autumn from Hunt Cliff can give sightings of Manx and sooty shearwaters, several of the rarer divers and grebes and plenty of the commoner seabirds, such as gannets, terns and gulls. Grey seal often visit the bay and cetaceans like Harbour porpoise and minke whale have also been recorded.