SPOTTING THE RAREST ANIMALS IN THE UK

New research has mapped out places across the UK where you can see some of our rarest and most endangered native species.

The study, by leisure vehicle rental company Camptoo, also picked out popular campsites near each wildlife hotspot. Here are the best locations to visit:

Scotland: Wildcats and otters

With a population of about 300, wildcats can only be found in the upper regions of Scotland.

If you plan a wildcat spotting trip, there’s no better place to camp than Grantown-on-spey Caravan Park (caravanscotland. com), located at the northern point of Cairngorms National Park. There are 143 hiking trails close by, providing plenty of opportunity for sightings.

There are just over 10,000 otters in the UK and the vast majority are to be found north of the border.

Isle of Wight: Red squirrels

These days, red squirrels (right) are extremely rare in the UK, with the population a fraction of their grey counterparts, at just 140,000 compared to 2.7 million. Although they can be found in multiple locations across the country ( Wales, northern England and parts of Scotland), the study recommends visiting the Isle of Wight, where around 3500 reside, to spot these small mammals. Heathfield

Farm Camping Park (www. heathfieldcamping.co.uk) offers a great location to set up base while you’re visiting.

East England: Turtle doves

This extremely rare bird now has a population of just 45,000 pairs, and is only to be found in southern and eastern England. Fakenham Fairways (fakenhamfairways.uk) would be an ideal place to camp, not far from the Norfolk coast and with 124 hiking trails nearby. The birds can be seen between April and September – they migrate to Africa for the winter.

South-west England: Deer

The only natural UK habitats for deer are in south-west England and parts of Scotland. The

New Forest, in Hampshire, hosts around 1200 of these impressive animals. For a great place to stay in the south-west, pitch up at Higher Moor Farm Campsite (highermoorfarm.co. uk), near Weymouth. There are no fewer than 143 hiking trails in the area.

Find out more at camptoo.co.uk

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