Blakeney Point Beach

Few people visit Blakeney Point for the beach. If you’re in search of sand there are far more accessible beaches from Wells westward, and if pebbles are your bag, Cley and the beaches to the east are at your disposal.

Visitors to Blakeney come instead for the birds and the seals.

Blakeney Point is part of the Blakeney National Nature Reserve managed by the National Trust. A 4-mile spit of sand, shingle and mudflats that joins the mainland at Cley, the Point has been slowly extending to the west by the action of tides and storms.

You can read more about Blakeney Point Reserve on the National Trust website, or visit their information kiosk on Morston Quay. The reserve has been managed by the National Trust since 1912 and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest as well as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Blakeney is an internationally important habitat for resident and migratory birds, including sandwich, arctic, common and little terns, oyster catchers, avocets and ringed plovers.

But the star attractions are the common and grey seals, and Blakeney Point is home to England’s most successful breeding colony, with over 2,500 pups born annually.

There are two ways to visit Blakeney Point: by land or by water.

The National Trust provide details of the coastal walk from Cley Beach to Blakeney Point. Described as “leisurely but active” and of moderate difficulty, the walk takes 3 hours and covers 11.2km (7 mi).

From Cley Beach car park, the pebble beach continues west, and at high tide it’s a bit of a slog. At low tide the exposed firm sand is much quicker and easier to walk on. Increasingly shingle gives way to sand towards the western end of Blakeney Point.

Inland from the beach and set back in the dunes you’ll find the famous and iconic Old Lifeboat House – a big, blue, wooden building originally built in 1898, that’s now the National Trust visitor centre and home to National Trust rangers for several months of the year.

The far western end of Blakeney Point is roped off to protect the seals and nesting birds, and no access is permitted at any time.

If you’d rather not undertake the trek by foot, the alternative is a boat trip from Morston Quay. Four companies currently operate boat trips to see the seals, lasting between 1 and 2 hours, and booking ahead is strongly advised. Depending on the tides, some trips include drop-offs on the Point for an hour, allowing sufficient time to visit the Old Lifeboat House and walk from the landing point on the south side to the beach on the north.

Well behaved dogs are generally allowed on the boats provided they are kept on short leads at all times. The boats are not covered or enclosed – this provides the best seal viewing, but means you will be exposed to the elements, and trips may operate in all weather conditions except high winds, so wear sensible clothing.

If you want to see seal pups, the best times to visit are November, December and January for grey seals, and June, July and August for common seals.