One area in Scotland crowned best place to go wildlife spotting with animals 'aplenty'

The Scottish Highlands have been crowned as the best place in the UK to spot wildlife this spring.

Now that the weather is slowly improving as we come out of winter, more and more people will be looking to spend days outdoors soaking in the fresh air. There is nothing quite like getting out into nature and seeing amazing animals in their natural habitat.

Fortunately, Scotland has plenty of amazing spots where you can enjoy a — hopefully sunny — day out. From the Scottish Borders to the Outer Hebrides, you can't really go wrong.

A new study by outdoor experts Millets has named the Highland council area in particular as the best spot in the whole of the UK to see wildlife. The researchers looked at the number of occurrences of wildlife in each local authority to decide the best locations to spot UK wildlife, and found that the Highlands has 18,371 per 10,000 population.

Millets commented: "The Highland local authority is the largest local government area in the UK and here you can spot robins, heathers and damselflies aplenty. It had the highest number of wildlife occurrences between 2018 and 2022 with a total of 18,371 per 10,000 population."

The Argyll and Bute council area also appears on the list at number four, with 16,233 occurrences per 10,000 population. Visitors here may be lucky enough to spot animals such as red squirrels, seals, red deer, and eagles.

Other destinations to be included in the top 10 are York, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, and East Cambridgeshire District. Read on for a full roundup of the top 10, including the number of wildlife occurrences per 10,000 population according to Millets.

Best locations to spot UK wildlife

If you go walking in Argyll and Bute, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a red deer (Tim Starke / Getty Images)

1. Highland, 18,371
2. York, 17,649
3. King's Lynn and West Norfolk, 16,823
4. Argyll and Bute, 16,233
5. Breckland, 14,972
6. New Forest District, 13,144
7. East Cambridgeshire District, 11,043
8. East Riding of Yorkshire, 10,373
9. Pembrokeshire, 10,037
10. Herefordshire, 8,501

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