How to see the seals at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire – 2024 guide
Donna Nook is a small nature reserve on the Lincolnshire coast in the east of England. Throughout the year it is a quiet place to walk along the coast and watch the large container ships that cross the North Sea. In November and December, the vibe changes and the coast becomes alive with seals that use this small secluded stretch of beach to deliver their pups.
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Seal spotting at Donna Nook
Lincolnshire is a great place for wildlife watching. Donna Nook is a small coastal nature reserve which is one of the few places in England where you can guarantee seeing seals up close.
What is Donna Nook?
Donna Nook is a small nature reserve on the east coast of England. It gets its name from a ship, the ‘Donna’ that was wrecked and sank off the ‘Nook’, a small headland at one end of the beach, during the Spanish Armada in 1588.
The reserve attracts lots of birds during the breeding season and is a good place to visit to see migrating birds as they arrive in the UK each year.
The mudflats attract large flocks of wading birds like dunlin and knot while in the summer sandwich terns can be seen in large numbers.
Behind the mudflats, samphire helps to form salt marshes while marram grass helps to sustain and grow the sand dunes. In the spring and summer, the sand dunes are covered in beautiful orchids and other wildflowers. Sea buckthorn is also an important feature of Donna Nook but does need management to prevent it from smothering all the other plants in the reserve.
The common and grey seals favour the mudflats and it is one of the largest breeding colonies in the UK. More than 2000 grey seal pups can be born each year on the small beach that they choose for their haul out.
Where is Donna Nook?
The reserve is located at the mouth of the River Humber and is close to the small village of North Somercotes.
It is a short trip from Grimsby in the north and Skegness in the south. It is one hour by car from Lincoln, 1 hour 15 minutes drive from Hull and 4 hours from central London.
How do I get to Donna Nook and find the seals?
Donna Nook is located 13 miles from Louth which is on the A16 between Grimsby and Skegness. The roads from the A16 at Louth are narrow and the drive will take about 30 minutes.
The easiest thing in terms of the sat nav is to aim for RAF Donna Nook. About 1 mile away you’ll see signage directing you to the main Donna Nook car park (turn right towards it) which is £5 and has toilets and a food trailer.
This car park is at the end of the beach where the seals are found so it’s only a short walk to the cordoned-off viewing area. There are no disabled facilities in this car park. The nearest accessible toilets are in North Somercotes
Alternatively, drive straight ahead (rather than turning right into the main car park) and this takes you to the permanent, free car park which has disabled parking. There are no toilets in this car park but there is a food trailer. From this car park the route to the beach and seals is signposted, the walk is about 10min.
If you are in a larger vehicle there is a height restriction at the free car park. This can be locked open so higher vehicles can get in but that’s a decision made by the environment agency that maintains the car park.
Formal traffic management will be in place on the busiest weekends with official traffic personnel on site. They will enforce:
- A one-way system
- No stopping
- Speed restriction
- Blue Badge holders in the designated (Stonebridge) car park
- For 2024 the busy weekends are 9/10, 16/17, 23/24, 30 November, 1, 7/8 December.
Finding the Seals at Donna Nook
From the car parks, the seals are easy to find. The paid car park is a short walk from the viewing platform and the path from here runs along the fence line out towards the beach.
The free car park is a 10-minute walk from the area where the seals are found. There are clear signs of where the path starts and the direction to the seals.
You cannot go on the beach at Donna Nook and need to stay on the path behind the fence at all times.
As this is a nature reserve and the seals are easily disturbed dogs are not allowed in the area where you will see the seals.
Tide times at Donna Nook are not as important as other beaches are you are not able to walk on the sands, but if you want to check the state of the tide then you can check HERE.
Why do the seals choose Donna Nook?
Donna Nook is one of only 9 places in the UK where grey seals can be seen in large numbers. Other places include the Farne Islands, Shetland and Orkney. These are important locations as the UK is home to about 38% of the world’s grey seal population.
They chose this quiet coastline as it is secluded and provides the right conditions for the seals to give birth. The presence of fences means that the seals are not disturbed and the threat from dogs is minimal as they are not allowed onto the reserve where the seals and pups are found.
The arrangements at Donna Nook mean that the seals have become habituated to visitors and unless you cross the boundary of the fence or make lots of noise there is little chance of disturbing the seals. Wardens patrol and will educate visitors who are disturbing the seals.
Donna Nook is located close to RAF Donna Nook. This is an Air Weapons Range and is made up of a beach, salt marsh, sand dunes and a large sea danger area. The restrictions that the range brings support the isolation that the seals need to thrive.
If you see red flags as you walk along the coast do not go past them. This is a warning that they are firing on the range. The seals are not bothered by the military activity but they may be less than welcoming of your presence.
When should I visit Donna Nook to see the seals?
Donna Nook is a beautiful nature reserve to visit year-round. However, the seals are best visited during November and December. The first pups are seen in early November with most arriving in late November and early December.
Whilst the cows are having their pups, the bull seals are also lurking hoping to get lucky with the cows who will mate shortly after having their pup.
If you can visit the nature reserve during the week then you will find it a little quieter, although during the peak of the season, it can be busy any day.
Getting there early or leaving late will mean you miss the busy part of the day and will also get to see and photograph the seals in beautiful soft light.
How to not disturb the seals and respect the nature reserve
While there you should stay behind the fence, the seals will come close to the fence. Walking along the path will allow you to see a number of different seals. If you are unsure of something there are wardens who are more than happy to help.
The Lincolnshire Trust has issued the following guidelines
- Stay within the viewing area behind the fence
- Strictly observe all red flags and other bombing range warnings
- Never feed or pet the seals
- No unaccompanied children
- No dogs in the seal viewing area
- No flash photography
- Please be considerate when visiting, park only in designated areas
- During seal season, if possible, visit during the week. At weekends, the narrow lanes, car park and viewing area get very congested.
Where can I get up-to-date information About the Donna Nook Seals from?
If you are travelling a long distance to see the seals it is worth checking how many have been born. At the beginning of the season, there may only be a few births each day but this increases day by day.
You can get updates from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust HERE
Preparing for your trip to Lincolnshire
When it comes to your trip to Lincolnshire you will need to ensure that you have waterproofs as well as protection against the sun. Waterproofs will protect you from the wind as well as wet weather.
The east coast is often colder than the rest of England and the winds that blow in off the North Sea can be absolutely bitter. It is also one of the places where you are more likely to see snow later in the year.
As for the rest of the year, the temperature in Lincolnshire is reasonably mild. For your reference, the average temperatures in Lincolnshire are listed below during each season.
Spring (March, April, May): 0 – 10 degrees C
Summer (June, July, August): 15 – 25 degrees C
Autumn (September, October, November): 5 – 10 degrees C
Winter (December, January, February): -5 – 5 degrees C
When packing for your trip to Lincolnshire make sure you have layers that can be added and removed. You will definitely need a hat and gloves over the winter months and sunscreen for the late spring and summer.
As the main reason for visiting is to see the seals, having a good camera with plenty of memory cards and batteries is essential. Bring more than you think you will need as you will come away with lots of photographs.
Where can I stay close to Donna Nook?
Bed and Breakfast – Meals Farm is a small Bed and Breakfast just outside North Somercotes. It is a short distance from the parking at Donna Nook and if you are feeling energetic it is possible to walk down the lanes to the beach.
Cottage – Lilium Cottage is a small self-contained chalet that gives you the freedom to come and go to the seals whenever you like. It is cosy after a long day out with a wood burner!
Campsite – The Villa Farm at Saltfleet is just a short distance from North Somercotes and is a lovely small campsite. It is for camping and caravanning club members only but the membership is worth it for this small site. If you aren’t a member then check out Pigeon Cottage.
