Blakeney Point

The Point is a spit of shingle built by longshore drift, running west along the coast and growing at its tip, and it was one of the first pieces of land the National Trust ever acquired, in 1912. Around four thousand grey seal pups are born on the far end each winter, making it the largest colony in England, and a separate common seal population pups in summer; boats from Morston and Blakeney run to within a short distance of the haul-outs and turn without landing during pupping. Ternery Plain holds breeding colonies of four tern species along with oystercatchers and ringed plovers, so the dunes are closed to the public in the breeding season. The old lifeboat house near the tip is now a Trust visitor building.

What you actually see

• The grey seal colony - around four thousand pups born each winter.
• The common seals - a separate summer-pupping population on the same sands.
• The tern colonies - four species breeding on Ternery Plain.
• The spit itself - six kilometres of shingle still growing at the tip.

When to go

November to January for grey seal pups, June and July for common seal pups and terns. Boats run on the tide, so departure times shift daily and trips cancel in rough weather.

Honest expectations

Boats do not land during pupping and viewing is from the water at a set distance. The walk out along the shingle from Cley is four hours of hard going on loose stones and is not the easy option it looks. Trips are weather-dependent and sell out in season.

Nearby

Cley Marshes reserve is east; Wells and Holkham lie west along the coast.