seawatching at Birling Gap , East Sussez , UK (1 Viewer)

Hello,
Can anyone tell me where the best place is to stand or sit when seawatching at Birling Gap?
Cheers
David Thorns
www.skutchia.com

skutchia said:

Hello,
Can anyone tell me where the best place is to stand or sit when seawatching at Birling Gap?
Cheers
David Thorns
www.skutchia.com

Click to expand...

The most popular place is a few miles further West at Splash Point, at the base of Seaford Head. You get to it from Seaford, go along the seafront east as far as you can until you reach the cliffs.

But if you really want to be at Birling Gap, I like the point just west. Go up the track past the houses to the trees. Have a good look in those trees, there are often good birds there. Follow the path west, through the gate and behind some trees and when it opens out go towards the cliffs. It's a good place to sit and watch.

When are you going?

ah great - thanks very much for the info.

when I've been in the past I've never really known what to do and end up birding from the cafe, which is hardly ideal with people just the other side of the glass windows eating their cream teas and staring out...
i think i know your track - i walk west up it from the cafe and car park right?

Anyway I'll have a good look for it next time I'm over which will be the weekend of 14-15 august.....let me if you're going and i'll look out for you ( either at the gap or at seaford )...

Cheers,
David

skutchia said:

when I've been in the past I've never really known what to do and end up birding from the cafe, which is hardly ideal with people just the other side of the glass windows eating their cream teas

Cheers,
David

Click to expand...

Isn't it awful that cafe? I avoid it!

Re Splash Point: As well as being a good seawatch place there is a colony of 800 pairs of breeding kittiwakes. They should still be around mid August, worth a visit.

Yes, uphill west from the carpark is where I mean at BG.

David

The seawatching situation at Birling Gap has changed over the years as the cliff has eroded - it's hard to imagine that when I started seawatching there back in the early/mid 1980s, there was a boat shed between the hotel and cliff edge (I remember a boat nameboard "Minister Pecher - Antwerp" hung on the side!).

Immediately to the west of the hotel building was an inshore lifeboat shed, with rails that allowed the boat to be wheeled out to a hoist at the cliff edge, and it was from that point that we seawatched - had to be careful not to wake guests when walking past the windows, but it was some way away in those days. The front of the lifeboat shed was recessed, and so in bad weather, shelter was available.

I think most of the old buildings have gone recently (not all a bad thing), and with so little space now between the hotel and cliff edge, I would take Joanne's advice and go up the lane or watch from Seaford (where there is now a beach cafe so you can sit and have a Latte whilst seawatching, as I did yesterday!).

All the best,

Patrick

a beach cafe so you can sit and have a Latte whilst seawatching

wow that sounds more like it...i'll definitely try it next time ! Thanks again to you and Joanne for your advice,
Cheers
David