Places

On our walk we pass by the Natureland Seal Sanctuary which has been helping to monitor and look after the seal population on the coast since 1966.

As you walk through the car park you will come to North Parade. Turn left and continue past the public toilets and small waterway quay. On your left you’ll see the seal sanctuary where we have had our sealcam in the summer months.

Natureland opened in 1965 and has treated and returned to the wild, whenever possible, many unusual animal visitors including dolphins and whales, a "lost" walrus and pelican, plus numerous oiled seabirds and injured birds of prey.

There’s more to learn about the growing tourism of Skegness as you walk around the town but Natureland as a visitor attraction has certainly helped the northern part of the town’s sea front become popular.

A seal pup

The Common Seal population

It is their work with the seal population that they are best known for. Each year abandoned baby seals or those separated from their mothers by the treacherous tides are brought to them and they help with a rearing and a treatment programme which allows the seals to be released back into the wild when they are fit enough.

The most common seal on our coastline is the Harbour Seal or as it’s known by many the Common Seal. The largest single colony is in the Wash between Lincolnshire and Norfolk. They prefer sandy coastlines and for them the Lincolnshire coastline is perfect with numerous sandbanks exposed at low tide where they can haul themselves out to sleep or give birth to their pups in safety.

One of the biggest problems for the seal colonies has been the seal virus which became extremely serious in 1988 and killed approximately 50% of the seals in the North Sea. It struck again in 2002, killing approximately 3000 seals along the east coast of the UK.

For those who want to explore more of the wildlife on this coastline you can visit Gibraltar Point, three miles south of Skegness, situated in the mouth of The Wash. Here you can explore over a 1000 acres of sandy and muddy sea shore, sand-dune, saltmarsh and freshwater habitats.

Carry on walking down North Parade and think about one of the biggest impacts to Skegness tourism – the arrival of Butlins.