5am Seals

We got up at 5am for sunrise. There was nobody else about. An orangey-red glow shone on the world out of the eastern quarter of a grey sky.

What were we doing? Heading down to the beach to see the seals.

 

This is the great 24km stretch of sand between Fraserburgh and Peterhead, centred on Rattray Head, visited by few folk except locals. It can feel desert-island-y when there's nobody about, like at 5am on a weekday.

The good thing about this lack of visitors means the beach is used by others. Oystercatchers. Herons. And the seals we had come to see.

We took to the dunes rather than the beach, looking to avoid alerting the seals to our presence. We wanted to see them up close, but didn't want to panic them into a retreat into the water. As we got closer, the dog was put on her lead... and there they were! 

A compact mass of hundreds of seals, pulled up on a sandbar with the sea to hand, huddled together, gesticulating, calling to each other, the occasional seal galumphing in or out of the waves.

What a privilege to witness this! We stayed a while until the dog started getting restless. We came away uplifted, a wonderful experience, the day only just starting.