Pembrokeshire's grey seals

Autumn is the best time of year for spotting one of Pembrokeshire’s most popular mammals, the Atlantic grey seal. That’s because the females come ashore to give birth at this time of year, so not only can you see the big fat mamas but you can also see their far cuter furry white pups. Needless to say you shouldn’t disturb them, although most seals will only come ashore at quiet and relatively inaccessible coves and on offshore islands such as Ramsey, which has a large seal nursery in the autumn (you can visit the island via various boat trip operators  based in St. Davids. A walk along the coast path between Whitesands and Abereiddi, or around Strumble Head, will often reveal groups of seals ‘hauled out’ on inaccessible coves – take a pair of binoculars and spy on them from above;  whilst surfers at Whitesands, Newgale and Abereiddi may find that they’re the ones being watched, as inquisitive seals pop their heads above the waves to check out the action. The pups are generally born between late August and November, and begin life with a dense, soft silky white fur; they rapidly fatten up on their mothers' extremely fat-rich milk. Within a month or so they shed their fur and grow a denser, darker and waterproof adult fur before hitting the ocean to learn to fish for themselves.