Kayaker meets a whiskery visitor while paddling up the Quayside

A DELIVERY driver got a bit more than he bargained for when he came face to face with a seal when kayaking along the River Tyne. Usually found on the coast and far away from people, this grey seal had found itself a nice little private spot in the woodwork underneath the Swing Bridge to laze.

Martin Buckley, who took up kayaking as a hobby once the Covid lockdowns had ended, was paddling along the Tyne from St. Peter’s basin with a friend. After heading into the woodwork underneath the east side of the Swing Bridge, the intrepid duo headed west to inspect the other side before returning back down river.

And that’s when they spotted the animal, sitting on one of the wooden beams beneath the bridge. The grey seal, which is the most common species on our coastline, was quite a way from the main colony in the area, the Farne Islands, though they are regularly spotted at St. Mary’s in Whitley Bay.

Martin said: “It was a big shock! It’s not something you see every day.

“Obviously they’re normally in rocky areas on the coastline and seeing one sat on the Swing Bridge was a bit strange!”

Richard Ilderton, volunteer manager of Tynemouth Seal

Hospital, commented: “It is normal and we have had seals there before. Once when the tide was at risk of flooding we joked that a seal would end up in the Quilted Camel for a pint! We get them spotted frequently at Newburn and occasionally further up river. By the looks of the face, this one is most likely a male.

“They can be solitary, and tend to tolerate their neighbours rather than like them at a colony. The fact that it’s up here is a good advert for the improvements in water quality in the Tyne!”

A grey seal, which was spotted by kayaker Martin Buckley, inset, under the Swing Bridge