Posted by Andy Astbury on October 29, 2007 at 2:06 PM
Wanted - permission to tag along with someone who knows what they are doing at Donna Nook, as I'm rubbish with tides and I have a deep aversion to bumbling around RAF bombing ranges when I have no clue as to where I can and cannot go.
For such an excersion I'm available 7 days a week at 12 hours notice.
As some of you may by now have worked out I am the epitome of humility and political correctness so I promise not to upset anyone
Seriously, I would be grateful in the extreme, and I think Mr.Bate would be up for the trip too.
There are no emoticons available to portray the amount of grovelling that accompanies this post so multiple cheers will have to suffice.
Some useful info of what to expect at Donna Nook can be found inTHIS excellent article.
Posted by Andy Bate on October 29, 2007 at 2:35 PM
im glad you called me Mr Bate and not the other!
Posted by Andy Astbury on October 29, 2007 at 2:42 PM
It's a good article Justin - read it a few times before now. But I know ME - and the thought of using that page as my only guide to not getting in trouble with wardens, arrested by MP's, drowned by the incomming tide, or blown to smithereens by some over-eager sonic jockey doesn't fill me with my usual self-confidence; hence the plea!
I know, I should have gone on the trip last year or whenever it was, then I'd be okay!
I never believe half of what I read, but always 100% of what I see
Posted by Andy Astbury on October 29, 2007 at 2:43 PM
Looking into this myself... Tom is a font of knowledge on Donna Nook, however he is over in Ireland at the moment, think he is back on the 3rd or 4th,
Many others here have good practical knowledge and I am sure will chime in with useful info.
Speak soon
Phil
Posted by Gavin Law on October 29, 2007 at 3:39 PM
Hi Andy,
It's a good idea to go with someone else first time out. I went on my own 2 years back, wouldn't of had a clue if it wasn't for a couple of other guys that arrived just after me. Followed them out onto the sands and wouldn't have gone that way if they hadn't have turned up.
If we can find out tide times and a good day for weather then I'd probably be up for it during the week.
Gavin
Posted by Paul Thomas on October 29, 2007 at 6:00 PM
I was thinking of posting about Donna Nook myself as I fancy a day out there too. I think you're only allowed out onto the main breeding area on the sandbanks at weekends but there'll probably be some seals around the wardened area too.
Paul
Posted by Paul Gibbs on October 29, 2007 at 6:19 PM
Hmm another member and i where looking to go, probably in november... maybe worth making it a UKNP event??
ahhthespacekeyonmylaptop isbloody bobins!
Posted by Andy Astbury on October 30, 2007 at 4:56 AM
Gavin - I've pm'd you
Paul - good idea - I think if a number of us Donna virgins go and get to understand the lie of the land then it just helps everyone.
So what do we do next to get this job organised, or are we best waiting for Tom to come back from Ireland before making any plans?
Take some wellies or walking boots that are watertight, and use layers of clothing - it can be cold & windy out there, or it can be quite mild - you need to be able to adjust clothing to suite when you arrive. Go to the car park at DN. Walk out onto the beach. As you walk out you'll find a path running along the dunes to your right - this goes to the Wildlife Trust section which is a protected area where you *must* stay behind the fence and on the path - this is the 'public' viewing area and can get quite busy at weekends. Don't go along this path, but instead carry straight on out onto the beach and keep walking in a straight line towards the east/sea (you'll see a few bombing marker beacons on your right as you go.) - chances are you'll find trudge marks in front of you from someone else who's been out earlier . After a 5 -10 minute walk through the sandy/muddy gloop you'll come back onto firmer sand banks. You can find various groups of seals all along the shoreline here.
Do read Steven's article (there's another somewhere in the NPN archives) and do use your head when attempting to approach the seals - a full on frontal assault doesn't bring the best results and will usually push 99% of the seals into the water, and will make you unpopular with anyone else out there. The seals will come back, but that's not the point!
Best approach is a slow and gentle one - get down on you hands & knees and crawl along once you get closer to them. Once you're low down, the seals don't see you as such a big threat and will relax a bit again. Once you're on your belly, you also begin to realise why the seals get jumpy - you would too if you'd been having a nice nap and woke up to realise someone was standing over you .
Do keep an eye on the tide and watch out behind you when the tide is coming in as sometimes the sand bars can flood behind and you'll get wet feet wading back across to higher sand . The sand/mud gloop you walked out over generally doesn't get submerged except possibly at the very highest tides (or in stormy weather), so you should be OK there.
Finally, although it's early in the season at the minute, if you spot any white seal pups out there don't approach them too closely and certainly don't touch them (same goes for adults too!). After you've stared at the rows of sharp teeth through your camera you might not think them quite so cute .
Enjoy the day - BTW, once you've trudged out, you won't want to come back for anything you've left in the car, so make sure you take food, water and the camera bits you want with you. From experience, 4 trudges through the gloop in one day is very tiring .
Out of interest how significant are the tides. Can good shots be had irrespective of the tide state or is it only worth the trip if low tide falls at a certain time of the day?
I've never been a good one for predicting tides - search the forums and you'll find a few suggestions on tide calculators/table websites.
As I've only visited when the tides have been out during the day I can't say what it will be on the banks when the tide is in... Obviously there's more room for the seals to spread out and relax/snooze when the tide's out...and more importantly there's also more room for photog's to spread out too - that way seals and humans aren't so pressured .
Best tide times depend on what light you want... sunrise, sunset, or just any light! For most, a low tide during the daylight hours (starting to come in at dusk) will be the one they want. Bear in mind that light hours are getting shorter now and that in a few more weeks we'll be looking at dusk/sunset heading between 3 & 4pm.
Hmm, come to think of it, time to think about a trip to one or two WWT sites for the geese and Swans!
Posted by Andy Astbury on October 31, 2007 at 5:33 AM
I must admitt the MoD activity has got me a bit confussed to be honest - are these seals really hard and brave, or do the MoD cease bombing November December?
The adult seals hang out just above the tide line, and the mothers come up to the dunes for birthing & nursing - there's a huge sandy/muddy bit in the middle that the RAF uses for bomb run practise - the bombing range runs diagonally along a section of the beach, but with the wonderful accuracy of modern military equipment (well - judging by the height they fly over my house, the altimeters are up s**t creek ), they need to keep you out from a larger area. Do a google map search on the area and look at the satellite pics - you'll get a better idea of the area. Car park is to the bottom left of the pic, bombing range control to the bottom right.
Simplest for first visit, go on a weekend with a suitable tide.
Posted by Andy Astbury on October 31, 2007 at 8:38 AM
My God Nick, it was a grim day when that image was taken wasn't it
The best time to visit is a weekend at or near to spring tides. Spring tides at Donna Nook mean that the tide is high early in the morning and low midday to early afternoon. Because it is very shallow here, it means the tide goes out quickly and you can get down to the seals by 9am and follow the water out as the morning progresses. This allows maximum time down the beach and you only have to start trudging back as the light starts to fade. This coming weekend is a neap tide and high water is about 1pm Saturday and 2pm Sunday which is quite restrictive as you obviously have to come back up the beach long before this. The followiing weekend is springs and should be ideal - and every two weeks thereafter for Nov. and Dec. although they will move on a bit as the weeks progress.
However, always check the times for yourself - the tide also comes in fast here and as somebody pointed out above, can swirl around behind you. Have a look at:
http://easytide.ukho.gov.uk/Easytide/EasyTide/SelectPort.aspx
You have most of the info above that you need. I will probably be there on the sunday (11th?) Nov morning (v.early) - but I need to check with SWMBO before I can confirm... Will post again when I get home.
PS make sure you have good waterproof footware - eh Adrian
Posted by Gavin Law on November 2, 2007 at 4:17 PM
Andy A and I are planning to go on the 11th, probably 8ish! Fingers crossed for the weather, as an omen it snowed on me 2 years ago!!!
Discussion
24 repliesFor such an excersion I'm available 7 days a week at 12 hours notice.
As some of you may by now have worked out I am the epitome of humility and political correctness so I promise not to upset anyone
Seriously, I would be grateful in the extreme, and I think Mr.Bate would be up for the trip too.
There are no emoticons available to portray the amount of grovelling that accompanies this post so multiple cheers will have to suffice.
Many thanks
Some useful info of what to expect at Donna Nook can be found inTHIS excellent article.
I know, I should have gone on the trip last year or whenever it was, then I'd be okay!
I never believe half of what I read, but always 100% of what I see
Looking into this myself... Tom is a font of knowledge on Donna Nook, however he is over in Ireland at the moment, think he is back on the 3rd or 4th,
Many others here have good practical knowledge and I am sure will chime in with useful info.
Speak soon
Phil
It's a good idea to go with someone else first time out. I went on my own 2 years back, wouldn't of had a clue if it wasn't for a couple of other guys that arrived just after me. Followed them out onto the sands and wouldn't have gone that way if they hadn't have turned up.
If we can find out tide times and a good day for weather then I'd probably be up for it during the week.
Gavin
Paul
ahhthespacekeyonmylaptop isbloody bobins!
Paul - good idea - I think if a number of us Donna virgins go and get to understand the lie of the land then it just helps everyone.
So what do we do next to get this job organised, or are we best waiting for Tom to come back from Ireland before making any plans?
Take some wellies or walking boots that are watertight, and use layers of clothing - it can be cold & windy out there, or it can be quite mild - you need to be able to adjust clothing to suite when you arrive. Go to the car park at DN. Walk out onto the beach. As you walk out you'll find a path running along the dunes to your right - this goes to the Wildlife Trust section which is a protected area where you *must* stay behind the fence and on the path - this is the 'public' viewing area and can get quite busy at weekends. Don't go along this path, but instead carry straight on out onto the beach and keep walking in a straight line towards the east/sea (you'll see a few bombing marker beacons on your right as you go.) - chances are you'll find trudge marks in front of you from someone else who's been out earlier
Do read Steven's article (there's another somewhere in the NPN archives) and do use your head when attempting to approach the seals - a full on frontal assault doesn't bring the best results and will usually push 99% of the seals into the water, and will make you unpopular with anyone else out there. The seals will come back, but that's not the point!
Best approach is a slow and gentle one - get down on you hands & knees and crawl along once you get closer to them. Once you're low down, the seals don't see you as such a big threat and will relax a bit again. Once you're on your belly, you also begin to realise why the seals get jumpy - you would too if you'd been having a nice nap and woke up to realise someone was standing over you
Do keep an eye on the tide and watch out behind you when the tide is coming in as sometimes the sand bars can flood behind and you'll get wet feet wading back across to higher sand
Finally, although it's early in the season at the minute, if you spot any white seal pups out there don't approach them too closely and certainly don't touch them (same goes for adults too!). After you've stared at the rows of sharp teeth through your camera you might not think them quite so cute
Enjoy the day - BTW, once you've trudged out, you won't want to come back for anything you've left in the car, so make sure you take food, water and the camera bits you want with you. From experience, 4 trudges through the gloop in one day is very tiring
HTH
That's great info.
Out of interest how significant are the tides. Can good shots be had irrespective of the tide state or is it only worth the trip if low tide falls at a certain time of the day?
As I've only visited when the tides have been out during the day I can't say what it will be on the banks when the tide is in... Obviously there's more room for the seals to spread out and relax/snooze when the tide's out...and more importantly there's also more room for photog's to spread out too - that way seals and humans aren't so pressured
Best tide times depend on what light you want... sunrise, sunset, or just any light! For most, a low tide during the daylight hours (starting to come in at dusk) will be the one they want. Bear in mind that light hours are getting shorter now and that in a few more weeks we'll be looking at dusk/sunset heading between 3 & 4pm.
Hmm, come to think of it, time to think about a trip to one or two WWT sites for the geese and Swans!
http://fishingwx.com/index.php
(I have been known to do a bit of fishing as well)
Best
Andrew
Last time I went was on a weekend so no flags flying. Does anyone know if the range is in use, does that affect access out to the water edge?
http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/reserves/nr/reserve.php?mapref=15
Paul
Simplest for first visit, go on a weekend with a suitable tide.
However, always check the times for yourself - the tide also comes in fast here and as somebody pointed out above, can swirl around behind you. Have a look at:
http://easytide.ukho.gov.uk/Easytide/EasyTide/SelectPort.aspx
You have most of the info above that you need. I will probably be there on the sunday (11th?) Nov morning (v.early) - but I need to check with SWMBO before I can confirm... Will post again when I get home.
PS make sure you have good waterproof footware - eh Adrian