Bempton RSPB: now charging for entry??? (1 Viewer)

Not the fault of the RSPB rather the fault of former owners (British Coal or whatever) going into administration at the wrong time. When they signed over the land to Leeds City Council and the RSPB, they didn't actually own it any more. So the work that RSPB had started at St Aidan's had to cease and all signage removed until the matter was resolved. This has been dragging on for ages now and the site will be ruined through people accessing the wrong areas. Sad really as it is a great site.

Himalaya said:

Was that any of the RSPB's fault?

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Himalaya said:

Was that any of the RSPB's fault?

Click to expand...

Building a house before you have been given the land isn't something most people would do!

The problem was that at the time Leeds City Council and RSPB were given the impression that the land was theirs to proceed with. Not that I am making excuses for them, just that they got the mucky end of the stick in this deal.

peter.jones said:

Building a house before you have been given the land isn't something most people would do!

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Still no satisfactory reply to the OP's question (which was also my question when google found this thread for me).

Looks like I'm going to have to go there to find out.

My best guess is that the RSPB rules (quoted above by Phil Andrews) mean that only admission to the "Seabird Centre" is chargeable, but they don't explain this too explicity so they can take money off punters to pass through their turnstile onto a public footpath that they could have reached directly from the car park. Which is a bit cheeky.

Or else there has to be a notice in the car park with a complicated set of rules about parking there. To scare folks from parking in the car park for free and just using the footpath to bypass the "Seabird Centre".

But other anomalies occur to me:

What side of the turnstile is the tea shop ? Can I park for free to buy refreshments ? Or if I'm walking the coastal path will I be refused a cup of tea if I didn't pay the entrance fee ? Either would involve the RSPB turning down money, which seems unlikely !

Look, I'm a member and love the RSPB. I don't actually begrudge them the money. But this does seem like a pretty dodgy arrangement.

I was there on Thursday, I arrived at 09:10 (before the centre opened) and I placed my membership card in the car window as I would a parking ticket. There was no problem getting onto the reserve as an out of hours gate was open. This was locked when I was leaving which I guess is to persuade people to leave through the centre. As I was carrying a scope, tripod and a large backpack I opted to leave by a path up the slope going straight to the car park and mini wildlife garden.
They do have a parking "warden" but he seems to be there more for guiding people to available spaces. I then drove to North Landing down the coast to walk the cliffs there which I actually prefer to Bempton.

I have only been once since the 'improvements'.

Firstly, traffic was lined up waiting to get in the carpark - never had that before.

Secondly, the centre was so packed that it was unclear where my companion, a non-member, had to pay and he ended up in the queue for the food counter. In the end I told him not to bother paying and we just walked down to the cliffs.

Thirdly, the cliffs and the birds were as impressive as ever. The RSPB can't ruin that.

Steve

I now found some discussion about this on tripadvisor. I'm new here so not sure if links are welcome, but Google "tripadvisor RSPB Bempton Cliffs" (and it's right below the advert that the RSPB bought with all the funds that are now flowing in ;-))
It seems that whilst they might not have actually pulled up the footpath signs they are trying not to draw attention to the fact you can walk around their toll point. This much is pretty much admitted in their responses, but they claim that the carpark and path maintenance and viewing platforms need to be paid for - which is true but I still feel uncomfortable about such a sneaky organisation representing my own interests.

If anyone is attempting to charge for access to a public footpath, then that sounds awfully like fraud to me, and I would have no hesitation in reporting fraud and misrepresentation to the appropriate authorities.

Deleated.

Why the hell they ever changed things here is beyond me - you used to simply pay to park your car unless you were a member. Everyone knew where they stood and there was no feeling of anyone being fleeced or conned...........

I'm sure you lot know that there is a local community as well and this is partly what the new VC serves. The extra space has an education bent and my two children benefit from this via Wildlife explorers and other groups use it as well. The facilities are significantly improved and there has been lots of management of the habitat around the centre. Access to the closest watch points is much better and these have all been improved. I'm not sure why folks like to moan about nowt. They want to generate some cash for the work done which is a boon to locals who visit more often than most. It's hardly expensive and if you are on here and not a member of the rspb then frankly it's tough luck.