Seal Spotting In Norfolk Guide

There are many seals along the Norfolk coast and this is a key area for them breeding in the UK. It is really important that you pay attention to them and follow the rules when going to watch them.

Keep back from them and keep your children back. They are big animals and can be aggressive if you get too close to them.

If you have a dog with you keep it on a lead at all times. Again seals can be aggressive so keep dogs well back.

I have been seal spotting in Norfolk a couple of times and find them fascinating. You do occasionally spot the odd one swimming in the sea in places like Winterton on Sea.

Best Places To Spot Seals In Norfolk

Here are my top 3 places!

1 – Horsey Gap

Horsey Gap is a section of beach that is accessible from most of Norfolk and if you want to see seals this is the place to go. There is a car park (paid) by the beach and it is a short walk over the dues to the beach. Depending on the time of year depends on what you will see.

When we went, in the summer, there were a number of seals swimming in the sea and there were not far out at all. They seemed to be playing and having fun with each other oblivious to the people watching them.

There was only 1 seal out of the water sitting on the beach. In the winter when they have young there are usually a lot more of them on the beach. There is a viewing spot for this that is a right turn as you head out of the car park. The beach is closed off in parts to protect the young pups.

2 – Blakney Seal Cruises

If you are further round to the north coast then Blakney is a great place for a seal spotting trip. Blakney is on an estuary so you have to get a boat out to where the seals live out on Blankey point.

From the boat, you can see the full seal colony without getting too close to them. You will also see seals swimming around and playing in the water.

The cruises usually last around an hour and you get to see lots of seals. This is a great way to see them in a really natural environment. While in Blakeney you can pop into the excellent 2 Magpies bakery or do some crabbing if the tide is in (we’ve rated it as the top place for crabbing in Norfolk – See here).

3 – Sea Life Center, Hunstanton

The Sea Life Center in Hunstanton has a seal rescue centre inside. They have rescued and released over 750 seals. These can be from injured animals to pups that have been abandoned. They have a number of recovery bays and a seal pool where they can swim before being released.

When we went they had a number of seal pups in and they were absolutely adorable. These are grey and common seal pups that they are bringing up before releasing them.

Here is a video of them rescuing a seal pup

If you want to get really up close then you can book a seal feeding experience where you work with the staff to feed the seals their daily fish. 

If you are heading to Norfolk then seal spotting is a great thing to do for all ages. If you are looking for a holiday in Norfolk we cover the best Norfolk lodge breaks on our site.