Newburgh – Grey Seals on the Ythan and Lunch in the Village
A few hours.
The route
Where the River Ythan meets the sea at Newburgh, grey seals haul out on the sands across the water, sometimes in their hundreds, and plenty swim over for a closer look at the people watching them.
A boardwalk through the dunes leads to a viewing platform right opposite, and lunch is back in the village at Trellis, a bright coffee shop in the village hotel. It's good for children too.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The day
Newburgh
At the mouth of the Ythan, the seals are the whole show. Walk out through the dunes to watch them in the river, then head back into the village for a warm lunch.
About two and a half hoursAbout 1 mile on foot
Newburgh Seal Beach
An attraction
In Newburgh, turn down Beach Road at the Newburgh Inn to the car park at its end, which you pay for at the machine; it's height-restricted to cars, so vans park elsewhere. From there a boardwalk runs through the marram dunes to the seal viewing platform, 10 minutes' walk. The seals lie across the river on the pale sands of the Forvie reserve, sometimes hundreds of them. The best time to see them is around low tide and just after, when most are hauled out and the rest come in to fish. Check the tide times for Newburgh before you go. Bring binoculars if you have them, and some layers, as the wind comes straight off the sea. Stay on this side of the river and never walk out along the sand towards the seals, even at low water, or you'll frighten them into the sea. Dogs must be on a lead near the seals. There are no toilets at the beach. Walk back to the car the same way.
3 min by car
Trellis
Lunch
Drive 3 minutes back up Beach Road into the village to Trellis, the coffee shop at the Udny Arms on Main Street. It opens Wednesday to Sunday, 9.30am to 4pm, and is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays. Breakfast and lunch are made from local, seasonal produce, with a big spread of home baking and plenty for vegans. Dogs are said to be let in.
If it rains
The seals don't mind the rain and the boardwalk is firm underfoot, so a shower is no reason to stay home; in a downpour watch from the platform for a short while, then go early to Trellis to warm up.
Trellis, restaurant in Newburgh.