A seabird safari

Wildlife thrives where people and their impact is minimised. So, arguably, the best wildlife in the UK is found offshore on remote islands where the wildlife can flourish in peace.

Here, there are few, if any ground predators as most islands are kept rat-free, providing perfect nesting sites for seabirds. Dog walkers are scarce, if present at all and footfall is low and considerate, with visitors generally present to appreciate the wildlife, and with conservation in mind.

So, to sample the best of what our nation offers regarding offshore wildlife, it’s necessary to take to the water. Search around and you'll find a plethora of tours and cruises that island-hop around our coast but dig a bit deeper. Vessels are often these are limited in where they can berth in such remote locations but access to a zodiac (rigid inflatable) changes everything. Sandy beaches and rocky outcrops become an option for grappling your way onto isolated outcrops and so choosing the trip and vessel carefully is critical. 

The stern of the MV Greg Mortimer is adorned with a stack of zodiacs ready to whisk guests off to remote locations. Greg Mortimer was the first expedition passenger ship to use X-Bow technology (an inverted bow) which is more fuel efficient and reduces the "slamming" load in challenging sea conditions. For these reasons, I chose to set sail aboard her on the line's “Jewels of Coastal UK” itinerary and prepared myself for a wildlife extravaganza.

My favourite places in the UK are all offshore “jewels” - windswept and remote landscapes where the wildlife just gets on with it. Our family holidays often include a visit to the Channel Islands or the Western Isles of Scotland, so a trip encompassing some of the premier island stops in the south, west and north of the UK was a dream come true.  Many of these, including the Isles of Scilly, Lundy, Skomer, Grassholm, Anglesey, the Isle of Man, Islay, Iona, Staffa, St. Kilda, Papa Westray and Fair Isle were on my all-time favourites list.

On board, passengers were wildlife enthusiasts from all corners of the globe, including some first-timers to the UK, and I was able to re-visit many favourite sites and species through new eyes: those of people who had never witnessed some of these before. To those from the US and Australia, even a glimpse of a cheeky red-breasted robin or a dancing dipper was a novelty and I marvelled at the excitement and anticipation each new sighting brought us.

But it was the draw of the sea bird colonies and the promise of a huge range and number of seabirds on the daily visual menu, from one of the smallest and certainly the most charismatic to the largest, that fuelled our enthusiasm.