It’s December, so that means it was time for our annual pilgrimage to North Norfolk to see the grey seals and their pups at Blakeney Point, Horsey Gap and, now Winterton. Like everyone else, we’ve not traveled as much as usual this year (i wonder why? ;-)), but we couldn’t miss this trip.
Braving the cold, but thankfully no pouring rain or winds this year, we started with the boat trip out to Blakeney Point from Morston Quay with Temples Seal Trips (we’ve also been with Beans Boats a few times and they’re also recommended). Unfortunately this year we weren’t able to book one of the trips where we could land on the point and walk around, but being on the boat gives a different experience and almost as good viewing, with hundreds of seals on the beaches and floating in the sea, keeping a wary eye on us visitors.
After a cosy night in Blakeney, we traveled on to Horsey Gap for seals experience number 2! No boats needed at Horsey, just park up (pay for your parking ticket) and wander a few yards along the path, up and on to the dunes and you’re presented with a beach load of seals. The Friends of Horsey Seals do a wonderful job manning the car park, setting up the paths and keeping a watchful eye on seals and visitors to ensure that the seals not disturbed and can come back every year to their birthing and nursing grounds.
Another part of our Horsey tradition is lunch at Poppylands, the WWII themed cafe just a across the road from the access road to Horsey Gap and in spite of it being very busy (always a sign that you’ve selected the right lunch spot) we got a table and had a delicious lunch.
Finally, we made our way to Winterton for our third seal watch of the trip. Its a bit of a walk from the car park to the beach access point, but once there, the seals are in abundance. This year, it was best to stay up on the dunes to see the seals, but normally you can get down to the beach and see them at eye level (if you lie down).
We’ll definitely be back again in 2021, lockdowns permitting!
See Wildlife 