Visiting Donna Nook: one of the UK’s largest grey seal colonies

One of my favourite things to do before Christmas is to visit the grey seal colony at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire. In my opinion, seal colonies are one of Britain’s best kept secrets, and I can’t believe visiting Donna Nook isn’t more popular.

After my most recent visit in 2024, I figured I’d share it on this blog. I’ve included some practical information on how to visit as well as what Donna Nook is like and what the majestic grey seals are doing there.

All about British seals

Two species of seals live in the seas around the UK: the grey seal, and the common seal.

You can spot both types depending on where you go. I’ve never seen the two species next to one another to be able to compare them, but the common seal is supposedly smaller than the grey seal (although no less pretty to look at).

Both seal types come onto rocks and beaches to rest and give birth. I’ve seen common seals chilling near Polly Joke and Godrevy, two of my favourite beaches in Cornwall. These majestic mammals have their babies, called pups, in June and July, which coincides perfectly with the holiday season.

But at Donna Nook, it’s the grey seal you’re going to see.

What are they doing at Donna Nook?

Grey seals can be found around the northern, western and eastern coasts of the British isles. But it’s easiest to spot them in November and December, when they can form large colonies.

Why? Because grey seals give birth on land. Unlike common seals, grey seal pups cannot swim until several weeks to a month after their birth, so they have to stay on land for a while. Therefore, grey seals often form big colonies on the coastline, full of mothers (known as cows), pups and the odd randy male (known as bulls).

Donna Nook in Lincolnshire is home to one of the largest seal colonies in Britain.

An introduction to Donna Nook

You’ll find Donna Nook on the coast of Lincolnshire, on the edge of the Midlands.

Believe it or not, Donna Nook is actually a military range. It has been in use from the RAF since 1927 as a bombing range. I can only imagine the isolated beach was ideal for training and other purposes, with minimal humans about.

Seals first came to Donna Nook in the 1970s, so rest assured they weren’t here as bombs were being set off. What made it ideal for RAF training probably made it perfect for seals too: it’s quiet, isolated from most humans, and safe. There are minimal predators in the ocean off Lincolnshire, so the survival rate is high – and as seals come back year-on-year, the colony has only grown.

When are the seals there?

Pregnant cows first arrive at Donna Nook at the end of October and continue arriving through November. According to the Wildlife Trust’s weekly ‘pupdate’, pup numbers peak around the end of November or start of December.

Once cows are on land, they don’t feed, and their pups rely on them for milk. After around a month or a bit longer, pups first venture into the sea for food. So by the end of December, seal numbers have dramatically decreased.

What it’s like to visit Donna Nook

I find it incredible to visit Donna Nook during November and December. There are so many seals on the beach, forming cow and pup pairs. Every time the number of seals in the colony amazes me; during my last visit, there were over three thousand seals in the colony, including nearly 1500 pups.

The pups themselves are the cutest, with fluffy white fur which begins giving way to their grey spotted skin after a couple of weeks. The seals don’t seem to be fazed by people – they’ll lie right next to the fence without concern. Initially I am always nervous because visitors to the colony can be very loud, with lots of children running around screaming, but the seals don’t seem to mind.

I love watching the dynamics between the seals. For the most part they lie about sleeping, or ‘hauled out’. But very occasionally the seals will be active: a pup calling to their mother; two neighbouring cows growling at one another; a mother keeping an eye on her rambunctious pup. The pups have a very adorable call which sounds like they’re exclaiming, ‘Mummmmm!’’, which I’m sure gets annoying if you’re another seal in the colony, but is very sweet from a human perspective.

Donna Nook can get super busy, but fortunately the Wildlife Trust looks after the area, with wardens all along the beachside and a double fence separating visitors and seals. You can’t bring dogs, so leave them at home or with a member of your party in the car park.

How to get to Donna Nook

Donna Nook is located in Lincolnshire, about as far away as you can get from the rest of the Midlands. Without a car it’s difficult to get to.

With a car, you’re best off heading on the M180 east from the north, or cutting across the Wolds from Lincoln. There are no main roads so the drive can be tedious! But trust me, it’s worth it.

Parking and facilities at Donna Nook

Donna Nook has one little car park at the top. In high season this is reserved for disabled parking due to it being flat and paved.

Most cars will end up in the overflow car park in the fields next to Donna Nook; once you’re in the area, just follow the signs in and out and you’ll get to the right place. The overflow car park is uneven but overall fine. It costs £5 to park all day, including a 20% donation to the Wildlife Trust.

Within the overflow car park, you’ll find portaloos if you need to pee. The portaloos impressed me to be honest; they were very clean.

There’s also a vegetable stall and hot food trailer. The vegetable stall is popular with my family, as it sells local produce sold in the form that they’ve been grown in. Think brussel sprouts on the stalk, kale by the bush, and fat carrots and potatoes that feel like they’ve just come out of the ground. They were delivered by tractor when we were there, and it was a lot of fun picking out what veggies to buy – even if the car smelled like brussel sprouts on the way home!

Meanwhile, the hot food trailer on our visit did sausage and bacon baps and burgers. At a reasonable £5, you can’t go wrong.

Accessing the beach

From the car park, there’s a little cut through over the sand dunes for you to access the beach. I say ‘beach’: this area is mainly tidal marshes, with little muddy rivers cutting between reeds.

Only a thin strip of the beach is accessible for visitors, to make sure no one interferes with the seals. You can walk along it as much as you like, and with the pups going right up to the fence, there’s a lot to see.

Be warned: Donna Nook gets super busy and can be hectic, so it’s all the more important to be respectful to the colony. Seal pups can get abandoned by their mothers if they have strange human smells on them, and they have sharp teeth, so keep your distance.

And of course, this area is still sometimes used within its military capacity. Don’t wander off onto the beach, as it could be dangerous.

How long do you need at Donna Nook?

How long you should allow for your visit depends entirely on how interesting you find seals. I’d suggest allowing for a couple of hours, which gives you enough time to park up and watch the seals for as long as you’d like to. However, an hour would be enough if you’re on a flying visit.

On my last trip, I got distracted and ended up staying at the colony way longer than I had planned to!

Where should you stay nearby?

If you’re travelling a good distance to get to Donna Nook, it makes sense to stay nearby. However, Donna Nook is fairly remote, so the options aren’t great.

Personally, I would consider combining Donna Nook with a visit somewhere else. I normally stay in Horncastle, a market town 40 minutes’ drive south, and would add in a visit to Sutton-on-Sea, a coastal village I used to go to on holiday as a child. The Lincolnshire Wolds are nearby, including Louth, another market town.

Alternatively, head north to Cleethorpes, a beach town which you can wander around. Grimsby, not too far away, is possibly your best option for cheaper accommodation and easy transport links.

Where else can you see seals?

Donna Nook is not the easiest to get to, so you might be wondering: can I see a grey seal colony anywhere else?

The simple answer is, ‘yes’. There are several other colonies in the UK. The largest is at Blakeney Point in Norfolk, and Horsey Head is another option. The Farne Islands have a massive colony, which I saw on my trip to Northumberland this year. And of course the remote islands of Scotland, such as the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland islands, have their fair share of seals to spot.

Are these any easier to get to? I’m not sure. But I’d like to visit them one day anyway.

Conclusion

My annual visit to Donna Nook is one of my favourite parts of the winter season. There’s something so special about watching day-old seal pups witness their world for the first time, being close enough to hear them breathe in some cases. I don’t know why more people don’t visit – but I’m glad about this too.

I’d recommend a visit to Donna Nook for anyone who loves wildlife, wintry beaches or seeing another side to Britain.

What else would you like to know about visiting Donna Nook? Let me know in the comments.