IF you needed proof of just how popular Piel Ferry’s boat trips to see Walney’s resident seals have been you only need to look at their Facebook page.

For every time the ferry staff have reluctantly revealed the end of this season’s trips they have then changed their minds in response to public demand.

Ferry captain John is probably as much of an expert as the staff at South Walney Nature Reserve having carefully navigated his boat past the curious creatures.

The trips are understandably popular with families and despite the biting chill at this time of year the prospect of seeing the seals just a few metres away from the boat is enough to motivate the most challenging of children.

I decided to take my four-year-old Abigail on one of the trips; it was a gloriously sunny day and although it was cold we both got well wrapped up and excitedly travelled the two-minute drive from Barrow to Roa Island.

There was already a small queue forming so we hastily joined the back and stood among the chattering group of kids looking keenly for the return of the boat.

The ferry can seat around 10 to 12 passengers and, once John had levelled out the weight by moving people around, we set off slowly in the direction of Piel Island.

It was quite remarkable how close we were able to get to the seals but as staff from South Walney Nature Reserve warned, it’s important not to get too close, and if the seals appear to start moving around or enter the water it’s likely they have been disturbed.

Grey seals are protected by law and it is illegal to recklessly disturb or injure grey seals in the UK. They are among the rarest seals in the world.

The UK population represents about 40 per cent of the world’s population and 95 per cent of the EU population.

The nature reserve is part of Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s estate and the trust has answered some frequently answered questions about the seals.

When is the best time to see the seals?

Grey seals can be spotted in the water around the nature reserve, usually at high tide. At low tide the seals haul out in large numbers on ‘the spit’ at the end of the nature reserve.

Why are the seals living on Walney?

Seals are wild animals and capable of swimming and moving on land when they need to. They are not constrained to the bounds of South Walney Nature Reserve. They simply choose to rest there most of the time as there is no public access and so limited disturbance.

I found a seal on the beach, how do I get it back to the nature reserve?

Healthy seals should be left well alone. Previously, we have had instances of well-meaning and concerned members of the public chasing young seals back in the sea to encourage them to come back to South Walney Nature Reserve. Another picked a seal pup up off the beach and drove it to the nature reserve in the boot of their car.

All of these behaviours disturb the seals and endanger people. Seals are wild animals and they are likely to bite when threatened.

For more information about the nature reserve and the seal colony visit www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk or you can follow South Walney Nature Reserve on Twitter at @_SouthWalney.

The trust’s live sealcam can be viewed on the website.

Seal pups are incredibly vulnerable to disturbance, which would cause the mother to abandon it and the pup to starve. For this reason, there is strictly no access to the area of the nature reserve where the seals are.

The seal cam is situated on the spit about a mile away from the internet mast at the South Walney Office and it is very exposed to the elements and the wildlife around it.

The reserve also has a number of hides from which you can watch the seals without disturbing them.