Blakeney Point
Blakeney Point is a four-mile shingle spit on the north Norfolk coast that projects westward from Blakeney into the tidal waters of Blakeney Harbour, one of the most important and best-preserved examples of a dynamic coastal shingle formation in Britain and a site of international significance for both its geomorphology and its wildlife. The Point is owned and managed by the National Trust and can be reached either by the long walk along the beach and shingle ridge from Cley-next-the-Sea or by the seal-watching boat trips that run seasonally from Blakeney and Morston quays.
The grey seal colony that hauls out on the sand and shingle beaches of the Point is one of the most significant in England, with approximately four hundred to five hundred common and grey seals resident throughout the year and a pupping season from November to January that brings large numbers of white-coated pups onto the beach in a spectacle of considerable wildlife value. The boat trips from Morston quay provide close approaches to the seal beaches without disturbing the animals, and the guides provide informed commentary on the colony's composition, behaviour and conservation context.
The ternery at the tip of the Point is one of the most important seabird breeding colonies on the east coast, supporting significant numbers of Sandwich, common, Arctic and little terns during the summer breeding season. The National Trust employs a team of volunteer wardens to protect the colony during the breeding season, and the combination of terns and seals makes Blakeney Point one of the finest wildlife watching sites in East Anglia across a long season from spring through late autumn.
The coastal walking from Cley to the Point along the shingle ridge is one of the classic walks of the north Norfolk coast, combining the geological interest of the shingle formation with the coastal marsh and reedbeds of the Cley National Nature Reserve, one of England's oldest nature reserves and a celebrated destination for birdwatchers from across the country.