Seal spotting at Godrevy and Porth Joke in Cornwall in winter

Published on by Victoria

I didn’t even realise until a few years back that there are seals in the sea in the UK! I guess I’d never seen one before whenever I was on holiday and so I never thought about it. When we went on holiday to Brixham in Devon I saw a seal in the sea for the first time and I was amazed!

Since then we stumbled upon Mutton Cove when exploring the north coast of Cornwall on a holiday last year before we moved to Cornwall. We were amazed to see a few seals on the beach in the summer as I documented in this Instagram post in July 2021:

Seal spotting at Mutton Cove by Godrevy Point and Gwithian in late December

Since seeing a few seals at Mutton Cove in July, I’d read they reach a peak in January so I knew we had to see for ourselves once we moved to Cornwall. We moved in the summer and this winter we have been seal spotting a few times!

It was very different returning to Gwithian beach and Godrevy lighthouse at the end of December. It was SO windy! In the summer we had visited on a super hot day and lounged around on the cliff opposite the lighthouse to escape the crowded beach.

The beach was all ours this time and the waves were amazing crashing around in the wind.

Gwithian beach waves December
Gwithian beach is very close to Mutton Cove and has amazing waves.
Climbing over rocks at gwithian beach in cornwall
We walked across Gwithian beach, over the rocks and up some steps. A quick beach visit and wave watching before seeing the seals at Mutton Cove.
seal spotting mutton cove december high tide
Spot the seals! They really do blend in with the rocks! Tip: check the tide times before you go! The beach was so covered here on Mutton Cove as it was high tide. The water was almost covering it as the waves crashed in. There’s more chance of seeing more seals at low tide.
seals mutton cove december
Zoomed in so you can spot the seals! Hope to catch more here at Mutton Cove in the future, but read on to see the amazing seal colony we saw in Porth Joke!
godrevy lighthouse december
A quick walk past Godrevy Lighthouse before heading home. We couldn’t stay any longer. It was so windy you wouldn’t believe!

Seal spotting at Porth Joke (Polly Joke) in Cornwall in late December

Wow! We’d been here a few days before and saw around 40 seals… then popped back on New Year’s Eve and saw over 80 seals!

Ben actually printed a pic off when we got home so he could count them! Over 80 on the beach and we saw at least 10 more in the surrounding waters.

seal spotting porth joke cornwall
Amazing to see so many seals at this secluded cove next to Polly Joke beach in Cornwall.
Porth joke seal spotting cornwall
What a sight! So many seals near Porth Joke.
seal spotting cornwall
Aside from not being able to fly, I think seals are perhaps one of the luckiest animals? They get to lounge around on beaches and rocks, swim and splash around in the sea every day!
seal colony cornwall porth joke
Super zoomed in for counting purposes and to see some of their amazing detail. Porth Joke, end of December 2021. Amazing seal colony.

Save on National Trust membership

Both Godrevy and Polly Joke are National Trust locations. If you have a membership then you can park for free.

If you are interested in a National Trust membership then you can save on an annual membership by getting cash back.

Use my link to sign up to TopCashback and see the latest savings at National Trust here: https://www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/victoriasully/national-trust

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Looking for more things to do in Cornwall? Check out my Eden Project review for why you should visit!

4 thoughts on “Seal spotting at Godrevy and Porth Joke in Cornwall in winter”

  1. Amazing scenery, and what gorgeous animals. I love all their different markings, and they look quite cosy nestled between the cliffs!

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  2. This looks so beautiful, my children would be so excited if they saw all them seals lying around

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