Every winter thousands of Grey Seals gather on the beaches at Horsey Gap for the pupping season. It’s one of the best places in the country to see one of the UKs largest mammals up close. The beach is closed off during pupping season, but come February the beach is once again opened up. I’d originally planned a trip in early February, but the weather forecast was so bad that I had to cancel. Fortunately a couple of weeks later a window of opportunity opened up and so I hastily arranged accommodation and travelled up for the weekend. The first two days weren’t great weather-wise, but on the last day my fortunes changed, with a lovely sunrise and some beautiful mist, perfect conditions to get some nice shots.
Around 40% of the world’s Atlantic Grey seal population lives around UK shores. This winter alone, an estimated 3,500 seal pups were born at Horsey and Winterton, a testament to the work of the Friends of Horsey Seals. It’s great to see them thriving in this country, a rare success story.
