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I’ve been on many remarkable safaris: to Botswana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya and Zambia… and Norfolk.
Before becoming a journalist, I worked in the travel industry as a safari tour operator for a small London-based company. There, I scouted out the best wildlife spots in Africa, where elephants glow against orange sunsets and hyenas whoop into the night. It’s magic.
African safaris don’t come cheap, with trips starting from £5,000 per person for true wilderness experiences.
But there’s a world-class wildlife experience on your doorstep for a fraction of the price, and the best season is still in full swing.
A three-hour drive from London takes you to Winterton-on-Sea, a seaside village in Norfolk where animals congregate in their thousands.
Okay, they’re not elephants or lions. They’re seals: more seals than I could have ever anticipated. During my visit in November, the count was over 2,000 adult seals and 750 pups, all sprawled on a summer holiday hotspot that’s virtually deserted by humans in winter.
When can I see the seals in Norfolk?
From November to early February thousands of seals flop onto the Norfolk shores to breed.
Looking closer, little white blobs were also visible. Monocular at the ready:they are pups. Hundreds of pups with labrador-esque doe eyes, looking around thinking: ‘This isn’t Africa.’ Not really. But that’s what I thought.
The dots kept on coming on the walk along Winterton Bay Beach, where seals had been birthing new life. The evidence was there, with subtle trails of blood and splats of placenta dotted around the little pups. It sounds gross, but that’s nature. And I was loving it.
Accommodation and getting there
The Net House, part of the Winterton Cottages collection, operates 45 cottages in the region, all well-situated for seal-watching.
The Net House sleeps four people, with seven-night stays starting from £638 and a three-night weekend break from £415. Dogs welcome. (wintertoncottages.co.uk, 01493 800645)
Our cottage was perfect – with a roaring log burner in a cosy living room, a contained garden for dogs to enjoy, and a well-equipped kitchen-diner. It was a short walk from the beach, and Winterton-on-Sea has a corner shop, as well as a fantastic local pub called Fisherman’s Return.
From South London, we hired a car and touched down in Winterton-on-Sea within four hours. There’s also the local train station in Great Yarmouth, eight miles away. Though this is a remote village, so you probably need a car to make the most out of your stay.
Incredibly, if the mother is impregnated on her way back out to see, it takes a whole year for her to have the next pup, when she returns to the same shores once more. No one really knows where they go, or come from, it seems.
I’ve never experienced such an incredible natural wildlife experience in the UK as this. Edinburgh Zoo, eat your heart out. London Zoo, do the same. Longleat? Manicured as hell.
But this is safari at its best: when wildlife is free to continue on its natural path, protected by the outside world. Not shoved into it, tamed or fed from needy human hands.
As the blustering wind slapped us around on the raised dunes, and we looked down to the sparring seals, bleating pups and circling seagulls, I felt a calm that was reminiscent of my days in the African bush.
Where to eat and visit in Winterton-on-Sea
The Fisherman’s Return is a reasonably-priced local pub with standard, warming pub grub. You aren’t going to think about the food for the rest of your life, but it was fabulous for a hearty local meal and had a lovely, welcoming atmosphere for a drink or two.
Not far away inland are the Norfolk Broads National Park, an inland network of rivers and lakes, with food options scattered along it. If you are in the area for longer, it could be worth checking out. However, if you’re just visiting for a weekend of seal-watching and beach walks, the coast is stunning.
In land we stopped at a delicious farm shop for lunch en route home called Hirst’s Farm Shop and Cafe, with the most delicious prawn sandwich I’ve ever had. It’s just a 15 minute drive from Winterton-on-Sea.
Elsewhere, a day out in Cromer can be a nice break from the coastal wilds, or if the weather isn’t on your side. It’s cobbled streets are packed full of cafes and little shops to explore.
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