Enjoy Britain's Nature Hotspots

Learn about native wildlife and take in the stunning landscape at these well-kept secrets you’ll want to return to, year after year…

- Laura Millar

For… meadows & waterways

ISLE OF SHEPPEY, KENT

WHAT TO SPOT Elmley nature reserve combines 3,200 acres of peaceful meadows, marshes and waterways which are a wildlife haven. It has the highest concentration of breeding waders such as avocet, oystercatchers, redshank and lapwing in lowland UK. There are four hides; one with an open-air screen on the sea wall, overlooking wildfowl and waders on the Swale, the channel between Sheppey and the mainland; the others overlook shallow ponds where you’ll see thousands of wading birds.

WHERE TO STAY Enjoy upmarket glamping in one of six stylish shepherd’s huts on the reserve, all with en-suite bathrooms and fully fitted kitchens. Painted in Farrow & Ball shades, and equipped with stylish furnishings, they have great views. You might even spot barn owls, hares or wildfowl from your bed.

BOOK IT One night in a shepherd’s hut costs from £105. To book, visit hostunusual.com or email [e-mail]

For… forests & whirlpools

OBAN, SCOTLAND

WHAT TO SPOT The handsome harbour town of Oban, in the region of Argyll, is full of rugged beauty, from the lush Arduaine Garden, to the Gulf of Corryvreckan between the islands of Jura and Islay, home to seals and sea eagles. Close by is the Moine Mhor National Nature Reserve, whose landscape includes saltmarsh, peat bog and woodland. See beavers at Knapdale Forest, reintroduced to the area in 2016, and experience the whirlpool in the Gulf of Corryvreckan. The islands are home to red deer, wild goats and seals, and in late summer you might see whales and porpoises.

For… marshes & trails