There’s something special about Sprun Point.
Whether it’s to witness the sound of the waves or learn about its history and importance over the centuries, the Spurn Point walk has long been a favorite with walkers across East Yorkshire.
Its odd shape along the east coast makes for one of the most beautiful nature walks, and I spent an afternoon doing just that.
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There was nothing we could do about the weather. Every two seconds the gray sky turned to blue and I wondered if I had chosen the wrong day for this walk. The wind was steady until the final solid ground turned to a mile of sand as we passed the personnel carrier at the entrance.
To the left is the North Sea, a wind farm in the distance, and a number of multi-thousand tonne cargo ships plying the Humber. To the right you can see the dark Spurn Bay at the mouth of the River Humber. The first kilometer of the walk was spent trying to find as much solid ground as possible as the sand crumbled with every step. But now that the wind has picked up, the sand is gently blowing across the beach, and it doesn’t have that orange hue like in the movie, making me feel a little bit like Paul Atreides in Dune walking on Arrakis. He gave it to me.
Once solid ground appeared, we gained a larger vantage point over Spurn Bright, a seemingly desolate piece of land. I spotted some people quite far away and at first I thought they were crabbing, but that wasn’t the case. These people were actually part of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and were helping reintroduce oysters to the Humber. YWT is working to reintroduce Yorkshire’s lost native oyster reefs. This reef provides food and shelter for a variety of marine wildlife. He brought 100,000 native oysters to the area to establish thriving colonies while YWT monitored changes in the ecosystem.
The first milestone on the walk is definitely Spahn Lighthouse. Towering over the River Humber at 128 feet, it is the tallest lighthouse in all of the North. I’ve done this walk once or twice, no doubt as a way to keep myself sane in lockdown during the peak of the pandemic, but since the lighthouse became a tourist attraction, I’ve never had the chance to enter it. Never. area.
There has been a lighthouse on this property since the 15th century, but the current landmark opened in 1895. Shipping eradicated the need for the tower and it remained in use for 90 years until it was decommissioned in 1985 and reopened with funding for restoration. The lighthouse is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and irregularly during the summer and school holidays.
Even older than the 15th century lighthouse is what some people call East Yorkshire Atlantis. Early maps show that the lost land known as Raventhur Odd has been intensely studied by the University of Hull to find out what happened to the harbour, which was at one time the most important land on the land. Although it rivaled Hull as a port, the area became dormant. The fish have been lost to time. Founded in 1235, Laventhur Odd fell victim to a collapsing coastline and was considered completely extinct by 1346. However, researchers are attempting to rediscover the area using the same techniques used to rediscover the Titanic.
Throughout history, Sprun has been used for military purposes, from the medical surge to World War II. There’s a lot, if not all, of the history behind the lighthouse, and it’s also the part of the walk I was looking forward to the most.
The Port Military Signal Station still exists today, and visitors are free to stroll around it. The PWSS was introduced a year after the German coastline attack in 1914. If the incoming ship did not show the correct response to the flag, radio, or light symbols, the manned guns in the bunker had the right to open fire and sink the potential enemy.
The final leg of the walk took us past the former RLNI Humber base. The Humber has been eerily quiet since his team moved to Grimsby last June. The pier leading to the River Humber, which caused the relocation, still stands as a remnant of the lifeboat station at Sprun, which operated for more than 200 years. The former staff home, and at one point their family home, is a strangely modern contrast to the centuries of history the walk gave me. Now the only thing that appears to be occupying this land is a flock of sheep.
Despite being in the most remote areas, the animals thrive. This is undoubtedly thanks to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Some rams and sheep are kept in cages, but I’ve previously seen seal pups napping, and this time I’ve seen the characteristic kestrel looking for dinner. I’ve seen it hover.
A vintage-looking signpost pointed me in the direction of the point. I’m used to walking on sandy beaches and outdoors, but this trail took me through a microclimate of greenery. As we made our way through the dense forest, an opening revealed another huge bunker that stood out as nature reclaimed the surrounding land. I happened to find the remains of a spotlight used during World War II.
After just a few minutes we were at the end, facing the entire Humber River. After enjoying the surrounding scenery, it’s time to head home.
Since 2013, the area has been isolated from the mainland and transformed into an island, so you are constantly reminded to check the tide times while walking. I would have been surprised if I had witnessed it, but I hadn’t considered the possibility of being stranded.
The best thing right now is that East Yorkshire buses are running so people don’t even have to drive to access these amazing beautiful spots.