According to Nature Scot: “The harbour or common seal is widespread in the northern hemisphere.
“There are five subspecies, and the European Phoca vitulina vitulina can be found in the North Atlantic and North Pacific.
“There are about 100,000 harbour seals in Europe.
“About 30% of this population is found in UK waters, and 80% of these in Scottish waters.”
Much like Stags or ‘Heilan Coos’, the Seal is a prominent icon of Scotland. They feature in Scottish folklore in the form of mysterious Selkies (a seal that can transform into a human) and their presence can be felt on a Scottish map by way of our heritage languages such as Gaelic.
In the Scottish Highlands, for example, we can find Ardnamurchan which is anglicised from the Scottish Gaelic “Àird nam Murchan” meaning “Height of the Seals”.
Whether it be out of enthusiasm for wildlife or heritage, what’s for sure either way is that these stunning creatures are an incredible sight to behold and simply adorable which is why hundreds of photographers flock to capture their image every year.
As we enjoy the Autumn months, here are 9 locations that have our ‘seal of approval’ for Seal spotting in Scotland.
9. Isle of Lewis and the Isle of Harris
The Isle of Lewis and the Isle of Harris both form the main island of the Outer Hebrides located off the west coast of Scotland. According to the Visit Outer Hebrides: “Often described as having a Roman Nose, the Grey Seal can be seen in many areas of Lewis.” | iknow-uk via Flickr