Squirreling on Brownsea Island

It’s a long weekend in the UK, and surprisingly, the weather is amazing!!
That’s all the excuse I need for a day out at the cost. Brownsea Island is somewhere I’ve been wanting to visit for some time. But every time I’d been planning to go in the past, the weather was grey and drizzly. And you really want to go to Brownsea when it’s bright and beautiful! Not only does the island have beautiful nature walks and beaches that are best enjoyed in glorious sunshine. Good light also helps when you’re crawling around on the forest floor, trying to take pictures of red squirrels!

Brownsea Island is one of less than a handful of places in the United Kingdom where you can actually still see red squirrels in the wild. Everywhere else, these cute little things have unfortunately been pushed out by the larger North American grey squirrel. The reds are indigenous to the UK, and they’re so much cuter than the greys, with their bushy ears and button eyes! They’re fairly used to people on Brownsea Island too, and tend to come quite close (but not so close that they will sit on your hand). They also keen to get into rucksacks and bags that have been left on the ground, and may possibly contain snacks! Cheeky little things! They certainly gave me a good run around for a few hours.

After spending the first half of the day on Brownsea Island, my photography friend and I decided to head a little further West along the Dorset coast, for a bit of hiking near Lulworth Cove. The Jurassic Coast is probably one of my favourite coastal stretches in the UK. The rugged landscape is just stunning, and I’ve witnessed many beautiful sunsets around here.

We ended up hiking over to Mupe Bay, a almost completely deserted part of the coast, and watched the sun set over Lulworth Cove. Magical.

Head over to the Nature Galleries for red squirrel cuteness overload, and also check out the UK Travel Galleries for some beautiful coastal photos.