Discover Spyway
Find out how to get to Spyway, where to park, the things to see and do and more.
Spotting puffins at Spyway
The puffin is one of Britain’s best loved birds, and if you’re really lucky you might catch a glimpse of them on your walk at Spyway, where a few pairs return each year to their nesting ledge in the cliff face.
Where to spot puffins in Dorset
Hundreds of thousands of people enjoy the South West Coast Path in South Purbeck every year. But few realise that hidden away in the sheer cliffs beneath their feet is the last remaining colony of puffins on mainland England’s south coast.
The puffins come in from the sea to Purbeck each spring and are here for about three months.
Perhaps because there are so few, a sight of them is a magical moment – but a poignant one too. Be careful and patient, and you may see them flying into their nesting ledge in the cliffs, sometimes carrying fish to feed their young.
Declining numbers
Although described as being as ‘thick as grass’ here in the 1930s, by 1975 numbers had gone down to just 23. For the past few years only three breeding pairs have been seen. No chicks are known to have fledged in recent years, but puffins live for 20 years or more and are loyal to their nesting sites, so will keep coming back to try.
The plight of Purbeck’s puffins is sadly typical of the global situation. Their dramatic decline is thought to be largely linked to the decline in fish populations, particularly sand eels. However, in Purbeck, their plight is thought to be due to predation of chicks by rodents, gulls or crows.
Puffin conservation
We are doing what we can to keep Purbeck’s puffins going. In 2026, we are repeating an exercise we undertook in 2024 - installing cameras on the ledges. Better placed this time, we are hoping the cameras will help us establish whether predation of the chicks by rats or other birds is causing their decline. We're also working with organisations and individuals who do coasteering, climbing and boating to ensure minimal disturbance on the breeding ledges.
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Walking at Spyway
Discover towering sea cliffs and rolling countryside at Spyway. Scramble down to Dancing Ledge, stroll along the clifftops or head inland to one of Dorset’s best loved pubs.
Things to do at Spyway
Discover towering sea cliffs, scramble down to Dancing Ledge, stride out on a walk along the South West Coast Path, and walk in the footsteps of dinosaurs.
