Jane’s Walk 2023 – Day 13

Having spent 3 days walking on the beach, I suggest we walk along the coastal path at the top of the sandbanks to get some idea of the countryside we are passing. It’s pretty uninteresting scrubland in this area, and having come across a sign saying that seals were likely to be on the beach at this time of year for their moult, we returned to the shoreline, and sure enough, there they were. We pass two large groups of seals of all sizes and ages, lolling on the sand or swimming nearby. There must be about 50 of them in each group.

The smell is very pungent, and I keep Moses firmly on his lead.   These are grey seals, but some have very mottled colouring, and we wonder if they are the oldest ones. Some of the pups still have their white fluff on them. Apparently, they are weaned from their mothers as soon as they lose this fluff and have to fend for themselves. They do not receive any training on survival, and 40% of them perish from lack of food. Talk about the survival of the fittest! I remember the little seal I saw two days ago and wonder if it will survive!.

We finish our walk at Caister on Sea, which seems to consist of rows of holiday mobile homes.