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Britain is packed with opportunities to see world-beating wildlife — as Sir David attenborough’s new BBC series Wild isles will show. ‘nature in these islands rivals anything else i’ve seen elsewhere,’ he says.
ORCAS HUNTING SEALS
BBC cameras caught orcas killing seals off Shetland. These Scottish islands are Britain’s best whalewatching spot. Boat safaris from the island of Burra can result in seeing hundreds of these killer whales: shetland sea adventures. com/ whale-watching. Or join a Shetland wildlife safari to see many different types of whales, seals and a cliff where 18,000 gannets nest: wildlifeworldwide.com/ group-tours/the- shetland-islands STAY: Busta House Hotel stands on Shetland’s shoreline ( bustahouse.com) — double room from £142pn.
RAMPAGING WILD BOAR
BRITAIN’S fastest-growing population of these hairy, tusked mammals is in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Growing as big as baby elephants and running at 30mph, boars must be treated with respect. Experts lead evening walks to see these secretive mammals hunt rodents, snakes and birds. STAY: The Tudor Farmhouse Hotel ( tudorfarmhousehotel.co.uk) offers boar-spotting safaris. Double room from £129pn.
PUFFINS BATTLING GULLS
BBC filmmakers show loveable puffins running back to feed their chicks while gulls try to steal the
fish from their beaks. Boat trips to the Farne Islands off Northumberland are the best way to guarantee seeing thousands of puffins this spring: farne-islands.com STAY: The Olde Ship ( theoldeship. co.uk) is right next to boat trips on Seahouses harbourside, double room from £110 pn.
GREY SEALS
WILD Isles crews spent weeks filming grey seals giving birth on wide tidal sands at Blakeney Point in north Norfolk. It’s easy to visit with a boat safari: sealtrips.co.uk STAY: The Blakeney Hotel ( blakeney-hotel. co.uk) — double room from £150pn.
EAGLES CATCHING GEESE
ONE of Wild Isles’s highlights is footage of sea eagles catching migrating geese at the Isle of Islay off Scotland’s west coast. Tours explore the same area, offering sightings of dolphins, sharks, otters, deer and seals: islay-seaadventures. STAY: The harbourside Islay Hotel ( theislayhotel.com) has double rooms from £132pn.
KINGFISHERS FINDING FISH
THE BBC caught kingfishers darting into the River Stour in Dorset to catch fish almost as big as them. Visit stourvalleyway.co.uk
STAY: Bridge House Hotel ( the bridgehousehotel.co.uk) — double room from £71pn.