Pegwell Bay Seal Colony

The seals at Pegwell Bay turn up when they feel like it, which is either brilliant or deeply frustrating depending on your mood. When the tide's right and you've got decent binoculars, you can spot them hauled out on the sandbanks - grey seals mostly, sometimes a few harbour seals thrown in. It's free, it's wild, and there's no visitor centre faffing about, which means you get the real thing rather than a sanitised version.

You'll want to go two hours either side of low tide. Any other time and you're staring at empty water wondering if you've wasted a trip. Early morning is your best bet - fewer people, and the seals tend to be less skittish. Bring proper binoculars, not those toy things from the seaside shop. A spotting scope would be even better if you're serious about it.

It's genuinely worth the drive from Sandwich, especially if you're camped at Sandwich Leisure Holiday Park or one of the other spots nearby. The walk down to the bay takes maybe twenty minutes depending where you start, and the Kent coastline here has proper character - salt marshes, shingle, that slightly windswept feel that's oddly compelling. Families with young kids might get restless if the seals are hiding, but if you've got patient walkers or anyone into wildlife, this beats most attraction entrance fees because there's no entrance fee and no crowds.

Don't expect a postcard moment every visit. Sometimes you'll see nothing but water and disappointment. Other days you'll have a dozen seals sunbathing ten metres away. That's rather the appeal.