Donna Nook Seals 2024 | How To See Seal Pups In Lincolnshire
If the thought of being surrounded by hundreds of fluffy baby seals sounds like a dream, then a trip to see the Donna Nook seals should be at the top of your list.
Each year, during November and December, the seals at Donna Nook Nature Reserve in North Lincolnshire give birth to their pups on the sand dunes. This mesmerising wildlife event draws over 70,000 visitors from across the UK, eager to witness the spectacle.
We’ve been lucky enough to visit the Donna Nook seal colony twice, and both trips were unforgettable. On each occasion, the weather was kind to us—no small blessing during the often bleak English winter! With warm layers, a cosy coat, and perhaps a hot coffee in hand, braving the elements to see this amazing sight is well worth it.
What Is Donna Nook?
Donna Nook is a nature reserve on the coast of Lincolnshire, England, covering more than 10km of coastline, with a mix of sand dunes and marshlands. A significant portion of the reserve is managed by the Ministry of Defence, which uses some areas for a bombing target range. If you see red flags, it’s important not to enter those zones!
While this might sound alarming, the seals have become accustomed to the sounds of bombing. As the seals are only present from late October to January, the area is carefully managed to accommodate peak visitor times. That said, always keep an eye out for red warning flags.
The name “Donna Nook” is believed to be derived from a ship in the Spanish Armada, The Donna, which sank in a recess (or ‘nook’) of the coastline near the area in 1588. The name has stuck, and today it identifies this special spot in the northeast of England.
What Time Of Year Are The Seals At Donna Nook?
The first seal pups typically begin to appear towards the end of October, with most of the seals having left by mid-January. The busiest period tends to be the last weekend of November and the first weekend of December, when there are usually the most pups at Donna Nook.
Keeping this in mind, we planned our visit just before the peak weekend to avoid the crowds. The seals were still small and fluffy, though slightly less so than during the busiest time. It was still fairly busy, so if you can, I’d recommend visiting during the week. Best of all, there’s no need to book in advance – just show up and enjoy!
How Long Do The Seals Stay At Donna Nook?
The seals visit the dunes of Donna Nook from October to January to give birth to their pups. Males typically arrive first to claim their territory, followed by the females. The pups then nurse from their mothers for about three weeks, during which time they grow rapidly, tripling in size and gradually losing their soft white fur, looking more like the typical grey seals we recognise.
Once the pups are mature, the mother (cow) mates with a male (bull), and the seals all head back out to sea to feed and continue their natural behaviours. As a result, sightings of seals from February to September are quite rare, though not impossible.
How Many Seals At Donna Nook?
The British Isles are home to an estimated 120,000 grey seals, making up around 40% of the world’s population, with one of the largest colonies found at Donna Nook. For most of the year, these seals are found on small islands or rocks near the shore. However, during winter, the females come ashore to give birth to their pups.
In 2023, a total of 2,207 seal pups were born at Donna Nook, the first of which arrived on the 30th of October. Alongside them were over a thousand cows and hundreds of bulls. It’s incredible to think that grey seal numbers were once so low that, in 1914, they became the first mammal to be protected by law in the UK.
From October onwards, you can find a weekly seal count on the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust website, with updates provided by the reserve warden every Friday during the breeding season. You can also join the official Donna Nook Facebook group, where visitors share regular updates, photos, and useful tips from their experiences.
How To Get To Donna Nook
Donna Nook Nature Reserve is located in north Lincolnshire, England, and is relatively straightforward to reach. However, if you’re driving from London, it will take you over four and a half hours. With a sat-nav (or Google Maps or Maps.me), you can easily find your way using the postcode LN11 7PD (OS Map: TF 422 998).
As you approach the car park, you’ll turn onto Marsh Lane, a narrow street lined with parked cars. This road can get quite busy during the peak seal season, so be prepared for congestion. There are plenty of signs to guide you, but be sure to ignore your sat-nav directions from this point onward.
At present, there are no public transport options directly to Donna Nook, though you can consider joining a photography tour as an alternative.
Where To Park At Donna Nook
During the seal birthing season, the land near the dunes opens up for visitor parking. The car park is privately owned and is only open during seal season. It is quite large though and well maintained with friendly traffic wardens directing vehicles to their spaces.
Car Park Fee
There’s no need to book in advance to see the seals at Donna Nook, but there is a small parking charge of £5 for the whole day (£10 for coaches). Once you’ve paid, you can stay as long as you like. Twenty percent of this fee goes to the wildlife trust to support the maintenance of the nature reserve and seal protection.
There’s also another car park, which is free for most of the year. However, during seal season, the Stonebridge car park is reserved for easy access to the viewing area, with designated disabled parking bays that provide ramp access for blue badge holders only.
Facilities
There are a couple of food vans at the car park that sell hot food such as burgers and hot dogs as well as coffee, tea, and soft drinks. You’ll also find a vegetable stall (which usually sells the biggest Brussels sprouts I’ve ever seen!) and there are toilet facilities available.
There is also a small shop in the viewing area.
Donna Nook Visitor Guidelines
These are the official guidelines from the Lincolnshire Wildlife trust.
- Stay in the viewing area and behind the fence for the seals and your protection.
- Observe red flag warnings and any other RAF bombing warnings.
- Do not feed or pet the seals at any time.
- All children must be accompanied by an adult.
- No dogs in the viewing area – seals carry diseases that can be harmful to them.
- No flash photography – please remember this on your smartphones.
- Be considerate during your visit and park only in designated areas.
- On peak weekends, traffic management will be in operation for your own safety.
Helpful Tips For Visiting Donna Nook Seals
Having been to see this amazing wildlife event twice, I’ve managed to pick up some tips that could enhance your visit. These are in addition to the guidelines above.
- Try to visit on a weekday if possible. Weekdays are always super busy.
- Arrive as early as possible. Before 10 am if you want to avoid the crowds.
- Remember that it’s the beginning of UK winter so wrap up warm. Layers are best.
- It rains often in England so bring appropriate footwear too. A change of shoes/socks for the drive home, perhaps?
- Winter also means that it will get dark earlier aound 4 pm.
- Take the winter sunrise/sunset times into consideration when taking photos – remember that the golden hour is one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset.
- Remember to pack your camera or make space on your smartphone.
- Use a telephoto lens or hire one for your camera.
- There are only two hot food vans so if that’s not to your liking bring a packed lunch. A thermos is also useful.
- Visiting with kids? Take the time the read some of the interesting info plaques in the viewing area.
- Be aware that there is a lot of placenta lying around!
- Try and spot a rare black seal pup. Only around 5 are born every year.
- Look out for Ropeneck. A female seal who first visited in 2000 but had to have fishing gear cut from her neck. She now has a ring around her neck but has visited every year since!
- If you have to travel from far away then think about booking a hotel or Airbnb. That way you can have a couple of days at Donna Nook or visit nearby cities such as Lincoln or Hull.
- Last but not least, please respect the visitor guidelines above.
Our Donna Nook Seals Experience
This is a brief account of our first visit to Donna Nook Nature Reserve. We opted to stay in a nearby Airbnb so we could make the most of a couple of days immersed in the adorable chaos of seal pups.
First Impressions Of The Donna Nook Seals
As we walked towards the beach, the first thing that struck me were the strange, haunting sounds drifting in the distance. I wasn’t sure what seals would sound like, but for some reason, I imagined they’d ‘bark’ like the sea lions in Finding Nemo. It quickly became clear that I had no idea what the difference between a seal and a sea lion actually was!
As we reached the fence, we could see the seals spread across the beach with many mothers and their pups close by on the dunes. Weekly updates on seal numbers can be found here but at the time of our visit, there were over 2,000 seals at Donna Nook with over 900 seal pups. At its peak, there can be around 4,000 seals at the reserve.
The main attraction was, of course, the seal pups. They were still quite small, white, and fluffy. They were very cute and the kids, as well as the adults, absolutely loved them. Many of the pups were right up against the fence. It was very tempting to reach out and touch them, however, there are plenty of signs telling us not to touch the seals (for obvious reasons!)
There were also males fighting for dominance and seals at various stages of the mating game! In the distance, there are a few buildings on the beach which, one of the helpful volunteers explained, was part of a bombing range used by the Ministry of Defence. They don’t use it while there are pups on the reserve which is good to know.
Donna Nook Viewing Area
Arriving later in the afternoon meant that it wasn’t that crowded and the people that did gather around a pup by the fence would leave quite quickly. The viewing area behind the fence runs 600m along the beach and there are plenty of gaps in the crowd to catch a glimpse of the seals.
There were information boards placed along the footpath with lots of interesting facts to educate us. These were probably aimed more toward young kids but there’s nothing wrong with learning something new, especially as an adult!
As we were pretty much the last ones still at the reserve and, with the sun disappearing long ago, we decided to say goodbye to the cute seals and come back the next day. You definitely feel the difference once the sun drops during winter in the UK.
Peak Weekend Crowds
We arrived a little earlier the next day (around 11:15) and discovered how popular the Donna Nook seals really were. A queue of traffic, at least 20 mins. long, awaited us today. When we did eventually get to the car park, we were directed to an overflow area as the main car park was full.
After we parked, we were greeted with a gigantic queue to the only toilet facilities on the site so we decided to walk straight to the seals. There was also a queue to get onto the path that leads to the beach! There was almost a music festival atmosphere in the air compared to the previous day.
Even though we didn’t visit during the absolute peak weekend, any time around that date would’ve been just as busy. Any weekend for that matter!
The viewing area was also much busier than we had seen but people still dispersed quite quickly after seeing the seals by the fence. As beautiful as it was to see the newborn pups, the reality of nature is also very evident. The midday sun revealed the number of placentas scattered around the reserve.
There was a gory fight between bulls, soaked in blood from the neck up. We even saw a poor pup that did not survive – no crowd by the fence for this unfortunate soul. There are going to be a lot of questions for all those parents who brought their inquisitive children with them!
We ended the day with a burger and coffee at the food van, having enjoyed the couple of days we had with the seals. The crowds made the second day a little less enjoyable but I couldn’t blame them for wanting to see these beautiful creatures up close.
Donna Nook Seals FAQ
Here are some FAQs to make sure I’ve covered everything possible so you’re ready for your visit.
Why Do The Seals Go To Donna Nook?
The seals come to Donna Nook every year to give birth to their pups on the sand dunes. The reserve provides a safe and undisturbed environment, ideal for rearing their young. This natural behaviour makes Donna Nook a unique and accessible location to witness grey seals up close.
Are There Toilets At Donna Nook?
Yes, there are toilet facilities available at Donna Nook during the seal birthing season located in the car park. However, queues can be long during peak times, so plan accordingly.
Where Did The Name Donna Nook Come From?
The name Donna Nook is thought to come from a ship called The Donna, part of the Spanish Armada, which sank in the area in 1588. ‘Nook’ refers to the recess in the coastline where the ship reportedly went down.
Is Donna Nook Still Used By The RAF?
Yes, parts of Donna Nook are still used as an RAF bombing range. However, during the seal birthing season, operations are carefully managed, and certain areas are closed to ensure the safety of the seals and visitors.
Wrapping Up – Is Donna Nook Worth Visiting?
Absolutely! The cuteness overload is something you’ll enjoy, whether you’re a child or simply young at heart. The whole experience is well-organised, with clear viewing areas, informative boards, and plenty of parking. It’s just a shame we haven’t spotted a black pup or Ropeneck… yet!
We’ve visited Donna Nook twice and stayed in nearby accommodation both times. If you’re travelling more than a couple of hours, staying nearby is a great option as it gives you more time to fully enjoy the seals.
Although we could’ve tried to visit on a quieter weekday, it didn’t really matter. This won’t be our last visit to Donna Nook! We braved the crowds, braved the cold, and witnessed a truly incredible wildlife experience right here in England!
