Cornish Seal Sanctuary
Cornish Seal Sanctuary things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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What’s your favourite day out/attraction in dog friendly Cornwall? We’ve always loved @cornishsealsanctuary in Gweek, near Falmouth. Here’s a throwback to foster spaniel Storm’s visit - he was OBSESSED with the penguins and they seemed to enjoy swimming around him too 🐧 #dogfriendlycornwall #cornwalltiktok #cornishdogsoftiktok
thecornishdogthecornishdog
1270
🦭Sealed the deal with these babies yesterday! - We love working with the @thecornishsealsanctuary and very honoured to release some of the rehabilitated pups back to the wild. The @thecornishsealsanctuary rescue over 70 injured seal pups from local coastal waters each year and take them to their seal hospital to take care of them to make sure they are fit & healthy to head back to the wild when they are ready. So magical to watch these 10 rehabilitated seals head back out to their home ready to take on whatever comes their way!🥰🦭🌊🌎 #cornishsealsanctuary #charity #voulenteer
lucierosedonlanlucierosedonlan
12.1K100
This was our second visit to the seal sanctuary, this time with kids in tow. As a young(er) couple, we visited here 21 years ago and being that my memory isn’t quite as spectacular as it once was, I can’t really compare it to then! Saying that I do remember the steep pathways being fun but not beyond a fairly average fitness. Disabled ramp access is also very good. This is an extremely rewarding attraction with an emphasis on seal rescue and recovery. From the hospital to the training pools to the seal retirement facility you are taken through the different stages of rehabilitation along with plenty of talks for those who wish to be further educated on how this amazing team looks after these beautiful animals. They also look after penguins and sea lions as well as encouraging the dam building activities of one of my personal favourites in the woodland nature trails, the beavers! There are worksheets and seasonal quizzes for the kids to complete. They also have a generous kids playground. You generally get the sense these animals are well looked after. The staff are very friendly, courteous and happy to answer questions. The gift shop is well stocked with a range of items (and prices) for all. I don’t resent paying a bit more in places like this as I’d hope the money is reinvested in the rescue and rehabilitation of more seals. When we visited in October half term, a number of the eateries were not open so couldn’t review these but the pasty, sandwich and drinks shop was open and again had a range of items for various prices. They also have a number of picnic areas to consume your own food which I think is valued in this current financial environment. Overall, it will take about 2-4 hours to see everything depending on how many of the talks you attend. I certainly recommend the seal sanctuary. They do amazing work with these playful, fascinating creatures that we continue to harm with our plastics and overfishing. Prices are average and you get the opportunity to return within the year for free. It’s very much worth it.
Dan RobinsonDan Robinson
00
This is a great little place. I found it on a website for dog friendly attractions in Cornwall and as we were travelling from Penzance across to Mevagissey we thought we'd stop here on the way. It's really dog friendly which we loved. Plenty of dog water stations, woodland walk, bins for poop and dogs can go anywhere except inside the cafe but there is a covered seating area for times when the weather isn't great. Car park was big and plenty of space for our campervan, although I imagine on busy days this would be less accessible for big vehicles, but it was fine for us on the first Saturday in July. The place itself is massive and there is a lovely woodland walk to see the beavers area (although being nocturnal you can't actually see them). The main attraction which is the seals and sea lions were great and I liked how sustainable it all seemed with water from the estuary. We managed to catch the Sea Lion feeding time and learnt all about thier spanish Sea Lion 'Diego', which was fascinating. Never seen one up close. The penguins were also great. We had had two pasties for lunch from the cafe - chicken, bacon and leek and a curry veggie one. Both were delicious! My only one negative is that I thought the pool for the common seals seemed quite small for the amount of seals in there....however, I'm not a seal expert and I understand they are all there for recuperation/sanctuary. Just seemed quite small for the number in there. However, it was a great experience overall and would definitely recommend to friends and family. Especially anyone looking for fun stuff to do where dogs are allowed.
Emily CollardEmily Collard
00
Arrived around midday and joined a relatively long queue to pay for our tickets. The queue went down quickly and the cashier was very welcoming and gave us a map and explained a few other details of the sanctuary. We then walked up the steep hill to the entrance and found the first pool with seals in. It was lovely viewing them and seeing that they have nice enclosures to swim around in. It was a nice addition that there is an underwater viewing area so you can observe them swimming. The reason for giving just 3/5 was a couple of reasons. Firstly the refreshment stand had no hot food ready and was told it would be ready in 10 minutes. Unfortunately I had already queued up for several minutes and I didn't fancy waiting around and then queuing up again 10 minutes later. Also disappointed the hotdog stall nextdoor was closed. The prices were also extortionate. £1.75 for a can of diet coke, which you may pay £1 for in the shops elsewhere. Secondly, an adult ticket costs £20 and sorry to point it out, but I don't think there is enough here to justify this price. I understand the place has to make money, but maybe there should be more on offer. My wife and I walked to see the beavers while we were here, but unfortunately they were sleeping. Beavers obviously sleep mostly during the day, so I can imagine a lot of people unfortunately don't get to see them. That being said I do believe in the welfare of animals so I certainly don't expect the animals to put on a show for visitors and appreciate their wellbeing is paramount. At the end of the day I just felt a bit short-changed. Also if you're visiting here you must be physically able to walk up and down some steep hills.
ChrisChris
00
Be prepared to walk! It is very hilly away from the main section where all of the seals and penguins are but there is transport to get you to this area. There is room on the transport for a wheelchair too so if you need one then it is fine. The car park is also hilly but there is disabled parking next to the entrance. There are quite a few pools for the seals, not all of them are being used at the moment because it is a rescue sanctuary the seals come and go. There are parts where you can go underground and watch the seals swim too, watching them like this is great! They do talks regularly so you can find out more about what they do there and how the seals are getting on. Very informative and much better than just letting people wander around without a clue what is going on! There is a beaver area too but they must of been asleep because I didn't get to see them. Like I said at the beginning there can be lots of walking, there are little trails in the woods they have on site so you can wander off from the beaten track. It is a very beautiful area though and the walks are enjoyable. If all the walking hasn't tired out your children then there is a well equipped park in the middle of the sanctuary, half an hour in there and they should be done! There are food stalls and a cafe right next to the play park too, we ate at the cafe and everything was very nice. On the way out there is a gift shop with lots of plushies and other wildlife based gifts. Something for almost everyone there. And don't forget that your tickets can be used as many times as you want for a year!
Alan SpaldingAlan Spalding
00
Nearby Restaurants Of Cornish Seal Sanctuary
The Black Swan
The Black Swan
4.5
(354)Click for details
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
Gweek TR12 6UG, United Kingdom
Map
Phone
+44 1326 221361
Call
Website
sealsanctuary.sealifetrust.org
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.6
(2.4K reviews)
Ratings & Description
outdoor
relaxation
family friendly
Description
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary is a sanctuary for injured seal pups, and is owned by The SEA LIFE Trust. The centre is on the banks of the Helford River in Cornwall, England, UK, next to the village of Gweek.
attractions: , restaurants: The Black Swan
