Flying home sweet home

SALMON NAVIGATING BY by the earth’s magnetic field, swimming from salt water to fresh perhaps a hundred miles the wrong way up rivers; leaping 10 feet and more up waterfalls to find the very stream they vividly remember the smell of from fryhood is one of those quiet miracles we surely owe the world the courtesy of witnessing. Autumn’s the time to do it – the activity in the salmon runs peaking in October, particularly in early morning and evening, and especially following a spell of rain after a dry period. There are many beautiful spots in upland England, Scotland and Wales where you can walk and wonder at these indomitable creatures returning home to spawn. But even if the nearest is a long way from you, think on: the earnest, acrobatic, exhausted fish you’ve walked a few miles to witness have come thousands more.

WALK HERE: The Atlantic Salmon Trust maintains a comprehensive list of the best viewing sites across Britain at bit.ly/seesalmon