Five Milton Keynes day trips where you can spot animals in the wild

Research produced by Number1Plates has revealed the best day trips you can take from Milton Keynes to spot fascinating wildlife.

With stay local restrictions lifted here are five places you can visit within driving distance of Milton Keynes to see rare wildlife.

1) Blakeney Point, Norfolk

Blakeney Point in Norfolk is the home of England's biggest grey seal colony. The Blakeney Point Coastal walking route from the Cley beach car park is highly recommended.

Organisers advise you must keep your distance from the seals and shouldn't disturb them. This point is roughly 125 miles from Central Milton Keynes.

2) Isle of Sheppey, Kent

Yellow-tailed scorpions are believed to have arrived on our shores in the 19th Century. Now there are up to 15,000, including a small colony that lives in the brickwork of a wall at the docks in Sheerness, on the Isle of Sheppey. The Isle is roughly 131 miles away from Central Milton Keynes, but Google Maps suggests it can be driven to in under two-and-a-half hours.

3) Smallbrook Meadows, Warminster

Smallbrook Meadows hosts a population of otters. Their favourite foods are eels, pike, perch, roach and tench. Otters can be seen fleetingly, so the best time to spot them is early morning. To find them, walk through the boating park from Weymouth Street or the car park in Smallbrook Road. Smallbrook Meadows is roughly 124 miles from Central Milton Keynes and a two hour 22 minute drive from Milton Keynes.

4) Forest of Dean

There are hundreds of wild boars in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. You can spot wild boar safely here - your best best to watch them is in the woods between the Sculpture Trail starting at Beechenhurst Lodge and the Go Ape site. You may see wild boar at any time, but try late afternoon along the logging tracks to give yourself the best shot. The forest is 90-plus miles from Milton Keynes and a two hour 25 minute drive according to Google Maps.

5) Rutland Water

Rutland may be the smallest county in England, but it’s home to some of the UK's most beautiful nature. You can watch Ospreys at their nest site on Lyndon Nature Reserve, as they soar majestically through the sky or dive to catch their prey. Google Maps estimates a quickest journey time from Milton Keynes of one hour 18 minutes.