Breaks by the sea to spot beautiful British marine life

Last week the Zoological Society for London (ZSL) reported recording over 700 grey and harbour seals in the Thames Estuary.  Outdoor holiday specialist Pitchup.com offers a number of camping and caravanning sites along the British coastline which have also reported sightings of everything from seals and dolphins to whales and sharks!

Founder of Pitchup.com Dan Yates commented: “Our member sites with coastal locations frequently report sightings of sea mammals including enormous basking sharks, which are completely harmess but are still breathtaking.  It’s a great opportunity for people to get out and enjoy a wildlife-filled holiday.  Of course, we advise holidaymakers to take care and exercise caution when looking for sea mammals as the creatures are generally quite shy and don’t like to be disturbed but there is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying them from a safe distance.”
 
Amongst the best sites from which to spot sea mammals are:

• Probably the best of all sites for spotting sea mammals is Cardigan Island Coastal Farm Park in west Wales.  This new camping and caravanning site has a prime cliff top position above caves which are home to a population of Atlantic grey seals.  The seals are visible almost every day.  Lucky visitors may also see bottlenose dolphins or even basking sharks.  The camping and caravanning park is adjacent to the farm park and there is free entry for all guests. Pitches start from £15.80 per night. 

• The Scottish islands are a haven for wildlife, many of which start or end their journey in the area after swimming across the Atlantic.  Ayres Rock Hostel and Camp Sitein the Orkneys is a great place for spotting seals, otters, basking sharks and porpoises.  There is also a colony of puffins living locally. Organised walks including rock pooling are regularly held by the island ranger and the site has free cycle hire.  Tent pitches start from just £6 per night, while more luxury accommodation can also be found in the two-bedroom holiday home with Sky TV from £30 or a camping pod from £20.

• Staying within the Scottish Isles, the Hebrides is another great group of islands for spotting wildlife.  Callanish Camping on the Isle of Lewis and Rubha Phoil Eco Camping on the Isle of Skye offer fantastic camping choices.  Callanish Camping has insulated, double-glazed and carpeted camping pods, ideal for sheltering from the Scottish weather.  Prices are from £35 per night.  Rubha Phoil has woodland pitches for tents and motorhomes from £15 per night and easy access to the local beach and caves.

• In Northern Ireland, just a few miles from Ballycastle, is Glenmore Caravan and Camping Park in County Antrim.  The site provides a great base from which visitors can enjoy a short ferry crossing to Rathlin Island, home to a colony of seals.  The seas on the route across are also home to various mammals so travellers may spot additional species en-route.  Pitches start from £16 per night.

• Beaches off the west coast of Cornwall are frequented by basking sharks each year from June to September.  For a quirky but luxurious style of camping stay at Atlantic Surf Pods where visitors can enjoy stylish camping from £65 per night.  These top of the range pods each has a gas barbecue, private wet room with hot shower and toilet, king size bed, decking with outdoor furniture and kitchen crockery, cutlery and cookware.

For more information visit www.pitchup.com.

ends

Media information:

Cass Helstrip or Samantha Marsh at White Tiger PR

Cass.helstrip@whitetigerpr.com 07968 255464

Samantha.marsh@whitetigerpr.com 07711 265666

Notes to editors

Founded in 2009 by former lastminute.com man, Dan Yates, multi-award winning Pitchup.com is a free guide to all types of camping and caravanning in the UK, Ireland and France.  The site provides users with a simple platform in which they can search and book a camping or caravanning holiday with total ease.  The customer experience from landing on the home page through to booking a holiday can be completed in as little as four pages.  The site also goes beyond traditional searches by allowing users to search for a site based on more than 80 criteria, such as adults only and campfires allowed, and view nearby events, Good Pub Guide pubs and VisitBritain attractions.  Users can also search on the offers page to find the best deals available.  Pitchup.com features over 5,000 camping and caravanning sites/parks throughout UK & Ireland with France recently added into the equation.  It enables users to search for all types of parks and sites from the major brands right through to one off campsites which may not have previously had a web presence.