Norfolk Seals

It's easy to see seals on the Norfolk coast, year round in some places

Seal spotting locations

Blakeney Point

Blakeney Point National Nature Reserve is a sand spit off the north Norfolk coast

There are now thousands of seals at Blakeney Point - to see them, you need to take a boat trip out to the Point, where they are either swimming, or hanging out on the large beach. The seals have pups Jun-Aug (common seals) and Nov-Jan (grey seals).

Very important, check sailing times before you go, as the boat trips are tide dependant - the channel between the mainland and the spit empties as low tide, so sailing times vary every day!

Boats leave from 2 places - strangely, each company charges the same price £20 adults / £10 children. Trips last an hour, or an hour longer if you opt for a stopover on the Point (the next trip picks you up)

• Morston Quay : Park at the National Trust car park, NR25 7BH (£6 - members free, some free spots in the village). There are a couple of boat companies to choose from. Beans Seal Trips, Temple Seal Trips, Ptarmigan
• Blakeney: Park in the village, NR25 7NE. Bishops Boat Trips

Seals are here year round now, but ask before you buy you ticket! Some trips give you the option of an hour on Blakeney Point itself, by the Lifeboat House, an isolated building on the spit, now a National Trust ranger station. This gives you a little time to walk to the top of the dunes overlooking the sea, but not enough time to get to get to overlook the seals.

Travel - both places are on the regular Hunstanton - Blakeney - Sherringham - Cromer Coasthopper coastal bus route. Sherringham has a train station.

Access - poor, you need to be able to climb in and out of the boats

In theory, you could walk from Cley next the Sea (not in Blakeney, unless you swim across a stream) on the CoastHopper route, and walk along the coast, which would be nice at low tide when you can walk along the sand, but heavy going along the dunes otherwise. About 11km return trip. There is a Norfolk Wildlife Trust car park just by the beach (NR25 7RY), signed 'beach' off the coast road, £3 in summer, which save 2km. If you go, you may fine dog and or human access restrictions for ground nesting terns. Currently, no dogs 1 April to 15 August. The seal beach is roped off. [map and more info]

Horsey Gap, Winterton-on-Sea and Waxham

Horsey Gap, Winterton-on-Sea, and Waxham are adjacent beaches along a 5 miles stretch of the north east Norfolk coast

A grey seal colony here lives on public beaches that are easily accessible from the coast path. They seem to be here year round now as well, but they give birth to pups on the beach from late October to January.

• Mid afternoon seems to be better out of season to see them on the beach itself (rather than swimming).
• Low tide is better than high tide

The England Coast Path runs along this section of beach through dunes, giving a safe vantage point to see the seals on the sand.

There are often volunteers from the Friends of Horsey Seals who have set up safe viewing areas in the dunes

Safety: Leave your dog in the car, or keep on very a short lead around the seals. Keep at least 10m away - they are faster than you over short distances. Do not get between a seal and its pup which can cause the pup to be abandoned.

Travel : car only

Access: poor - neither location is good for wheelchairs or buggies, but the Winterton car park has a view.

• Horsey Gap : This is the site of the main colony. There is a private beach car park (NR29 4EJ, £3 for 2 hours, £5 all day). At the beach, turn right (south) for the seals. No toilets. Inland are Poppyland Tearoom and Nelson Head pub. Alternately, from Horsey village. Carry on down the lane past The Nelson Head pub (NR29 4AD). Turn left at the private road sign, down the lane (a public fotpath), about 1.2km total, and you come out on the beach at Winterton Ness ("headland"), about half way between the 2 beach car parks
• Winterton : The colony has spread south towards Winterton-on-Sea. There is a private car park there too (NR29 4DE, £1.50/hour, £7 all day, some free spaces in the village). There's a pop-up cafe (the old one was lost to the sea). Turn left (north) for the seals . There is now a fence to keep seals and visitors apart. Kiosk, toilets on the beach. Fisherman's Return pub in the village
• Waxham: The colony has [Jan-23] spread north to Waxham, a small village with a church and Dunes Cafe in a heritage barn. Some roadside parking for the beach.

Jan-23 : The seals have spread further north to Waxham, almost 4,000 pups have been spotted so far this winter

Hunstanton

Hunstanton is a resort on the west coast of Norfolk

There is a large colony of seals in the Wash. They give birth on offshore sandbanks during the summer. There is an amphibious boat trip out to them that runs May-Oct, but Jun-Aug is the best time for pups. Be sure to ask what the current situation is before booking, especially at the start and end of the season. Seatours £16. PE36 5BH. There is a large car park nearby. £5 all day. Note: you can't walk out to them - you need to go by boat.

Updated: Sep '21