Visiting The Cornish Seal Sanctuary in a Wheelchair

Please note all images in this post are copyrighted to William Allen of KernowInFocus. If you live in Cornwall and need a photographer do check him out as he is fantastic.

October last year we had our annual trip to Cornwall, to meet up with family and explore a little. I had been saying since the previous year’s trip I wanted to visit The Cornish Seal Sanctuary and with the weather behaving we finally made it.

As we did go in October, there have been some changes at the sanctuary which I will go into later in the post. However, there is still so much to do and see, and it is possible to do it in a wheelchair.

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary

Located in Gweek, Cornwall the Seal Sanctuary is home to a number of seals who cannot be returned to the wild for various reasons. Each seal has their story available to read near their home enclosure while you can also see some of the residents who are up for sponsorship on its website and a little about them and why they found themselves in a forever home at the sanctuary.

However, of course, the main goal of the sanctuary is to rescue, rehabilitate and release the seals that come into its care every year. Each winter alone they rescue between 50 and 70 pups, and each pup costs around £2000 to rehabilitate, without taking into account any extra needs.

The centre therefore includes a seal hospital, and a hospital pool as well as the home pools of the residents. At the moment they are fundraising to try and secure the future of the centre and allow them to build and transform areas around the sanctuary.

It is also worth mentioning the sanctuary is dog-friendly, they even share a four-footed visitor of the week on social media!

Visiting In A Wheelchair

The Seal Sanctuary has a range of disabled parking areas, the main accessible parking area is directly in front of the main entrance, while a second limited area is available by the seal pools.

One of the most important things to note when visiting is the distance and incline. From the main entrance to the Seal Hospital, it is about 600 metres, then there is a steep hill of at least 16° for around 300 metres. As such you are going to want to be sure that if you are using a chair or mobility scooter they can deal with this area. Mine did not like going down and I ended up walking with help while someone else pushed my chair, however, it was fine coming back up.

You have a few options for those using a chair/mobility scooter that can’t deal with the slope. 1) is the parking spaces by the seal pools, from here you can easily explore the seals and beavers. 2) during the main season they often have a golf buggy running which can seat either 4 people or 2 people with a wheelchair/scooter (we were offered this and in hindsight should have accepted). 3) when the golf buggy isn’t running the on-site van can hold up to 4 people – but I’m unsure if this can hold a chair.

Accessible toilets are available, by reception and to the left-hand side of the Seal Hospital. However, once you are down by the seal pools due to the estuary location all toilets are more portable in type.

Once you are down in the seal pool area, the ground flattens out a lot and you can visit the seal pools and Secret Creek with ease.

They also offer a free carer pass with every paying disabled guest, to claim this you need to show your blue badge, DLA/PIP letter, carer’s letter or have a note from a doctor or specialist.

A Day With The Seals

Our group included 11 of us ranging from under 10 to over 70. Our first stop was to have a picnic lunch, we found a grassed area not far after The Seal Hospital which was perfect for this and allowed views of the estuary below.

It was then time to take on and be beaten by the hill. Honestly, I would highly suggest asking for help for this part, if anyone in your group has mobility issues or is using a chair or scooter. The incline was a little deceptive in how it looked and I did at first think I would be fine. However, it very quickly became obvious I was not.

At the bottom you are first going to come across the isolation pools, these may be empty or they may have occupants. When we visited Banana was the lone occupant and she has since been reunited with her friends.

Next up is the seal pools, where the residents live. During the day you may be able to watch them at feeding time, which the staff make sure is enriching and rewarding for the occupants. Some talks take place across the sanctuary on various topics, we managed to catch one happening at Secret Creek about the beavers and another with the penguins. Times for these talks are displayed on boards around the area.

Viewing The Seals

There are several ways to view the seals at the sanctuary, with even an underwater viewing area available. It is worth noting the underwater area can be quite busy as you often find great interaction with the seals in this area as they come to say hello and play through the glass.

However, it is well worth hanging around until you can get up close and personal. Other options are by the side of the pools and from view platforms from above, however, some of these only have stepped access.

I would also try and see them at feeding time if you can, as it is amazing to see them interact with their keepers.

Comings and Goings

As I said at the start of my post there have been some changes since we went in October. Sadly the first is that Diego the resident Sea Lion at The Cornish Seal Sanctuary sadly passed away on the 17th of December.

Next up is the Humboldt Penguins, I had a wonderful time watching this group. However, back in January, they went to pastures new with the group waddling off to Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian (what a journey!) to join a larger group.

Making their way to the sanctuary is a new trio of beaver kits! At the moment they are living in the Beaver Nursery which makes for a great time to spot them before they are released in a more wooded area. The Seal Sanctuary is a temporary home for these beavers who will in time be released into the wild in a specified area to help with beaver restoration.

Booking Your Ticket

If you fancy visiting The Seal Sanctuary for yourself, then it is worth booking in advance as you get 20% off tickets should you book 2 or more days ahead. Until the end of February, their local annual pass sale is on.

Buying on-the-day tickets costs; £15.99 for adults and £13.59 for children aged 3-16yrs. Discounts are also available for over 60s and students, while under 3s are free.

To find out more about The Cornish Seal Sanctuary or book tickets do check out their website.

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