Yell
The northerly Shetland island of Yell is perhaps the best place in Britain to see wild otters.
Fifteen minutes by ferry takes you over majestic Yell Sound to the island of Yell - the second largest in the Shetlands. The landscape is mostly peat moorland, cut up by deep voes - a favourite haunt of German submarines in World War II.
The island has a suitably remote, isolated, even eerie feel. This obviously suits the resident population of otters, who love the low-lying peaty shoreline for bringing up the kids, and have plenty of freshwater for washing after hunting fish in the sea.
All around the coast of Yell you'll find small colonies of nesting seabirds - the cliffs at Neapoback and Da Horse o' Burravoe being particularly rich in species. In summer the moorlands are home to an amazing array of wading birds as well as skuas and divers.
