Travels With My Camera: Flamborough Head

Flamborough is situated on the North East coast of Yorkshire between Filey and Bridlington. The origins of Flamborough date back thousands of years and the area has an interesting, if confusing, history. Evidence would suggest that early European settlers once occupied Flamborough and, though it remains unproven, it is believed by many that the origin of its name stems from ancient Nordic or Icelandic influence. Others believe that the old Anglo-Saxon word for "Spearhead" (Flaen/Flayn), which is similar to the first part of Flamborough's present name, stands as a viable alternative theory. This idea is of course supported by the shape of the Flamborough headland: a sharp elongation which juts out into the North Sea by roughly 6 miles (9.7km).

Rugged Coastline

Chalk cliffs at Flamborough looking North

Light Houses

Towering 92 feet from base to apex, Flamborough lighthouse emits a beam exceeding 3.5 million candle power every 15 seconds and can be seen at sea at a distance of 21 miles.

Flamborough is best known for its lighthouses. Between the late 17c and the present day there have been two constructions erected presumably for this purpose: the Chalk Tower/ Beacon Tower, built in 1673, and the present lighthouse, built in 1806. After saying that, many believe that the earlier tower was built for some other reason and proponents of this latter theory cite the 1806 tower as the original and only lighthouse to ever exist at Flamborough.

The Chalk Tower/ Beacon Tower built in 1673.
(Additional photo courtesy of Flickr)

Smuggler's Caves & Coves

The many caves along Flamborough's rocky shore were a safe haven for the crafty smugglers of the 18th and early 19th century. Illegal cargoes of tobacco, brandy, tea, cotton and silk were regularly brought ashore here unbeknown to excise men. Many of the older houses in Flamborough still contain smuggler's holes.