With social distancing measures in place across the UK, now is a great time to take the opportunity for a little fresh air. The British countryside is brimming with exciting activities you can get involved in. But if you’re looking for something quiet and contemplative yet still exciting and adventurous, wildlife photography just might be your new favourite hobby.
Grab your camera, head outside and see if you can’t snap some photos of the country’s rare and beautiful wildlife. From red deer to badgers, otters and puffins, there’s no end to the number of incredible creatures you can spot. And, most importantly, you’ll get to experience the stunning British countryside on your own terms.
Check out these six amazing locations for snapping wildlife in the UK.
Scottish highlands
Bleak, beautiful and teeming with wildlife, there are few locations more exciting than the Scottish Highlands. As one of the country’s biggest breeding grounds for venison, the highlands are filled with red deer. But if you know what you’re doing, you can find all sorts of amazing creatures here, such as pine martens and wild cats. There’s even a family of orca whales that likes to frequent the west coast. You better bring your best camera!
Farne Islands
David Attenborough described the Farne Islands as the UK’s best location to see wildlife. And it’s not hard to see why. There are over 84,000 nesting puffins on the island, as well as over 6000 seals. The waters nearby are also filled with amazing sea life including dolphins, basking sharks and even minke whales. If you want a truly inspiring wildlife experience, plan an extended trip to the Farne Islands.
Richmond park
Even if you’re staying in the very centre of London, a spot of wildlife photography is still on the cards. Richmond park is only a short tube ride away and is home to an amazing variety of creatures, including deer, birds, bats and the usual foxes, rabbits and squirrels. It’s the perfect spot if you’re just starting out with wildlife photography and want to improve your game.
Brownsea Island
This tiny island off the coast of Poole is amongst the few UK locations to still have red squirrels in abundance. It’s also home to an enormous population of peacocks who live there year-round. If you really know your stuff, though, you can spot a host of beautiful and rare birds including kingfishers, avocets and wigeons.
Exmoor
With beautiful moorland, woodland and quintessential British countryside, there are more than a few reasons to visit Exmoor. With all that countryside, you can bet there’s a great deal of interesting wildlife, including the rare brown hare, red deer and the famous Exmoor ponies. We highly recommend booking in a wildlife safari to see the very best of Exmoor’s fauna.
New forest
Visitors to the UK are often surprised to hear that wild ponies still roam the hills and forests of Britain in a few rare locations. The New Forest is one of these locations, with a population of over 5,000 ponies roaming wild. If you’re an especially talented photo hunter – and with a little luck – you could even run into some rare British species like the adder. Be careful though – they’re our only venous snake!
For more great ways to get in touch with the British countryside, get in touch with us here at Evan Evans. We’ve spent nine decades exploring the very best the UK has to offer.
