Wild Britain with Ray Mears

Ray takes a look around the area known as The Weald, a landscape of ancient forest, small fields and heath on the Kent-Sussex border in south east England.

Off the Isle of Wight Ray finds conger eels, the spiny spider crab and smooth hound sharks and on land a rare butterfly and the footprint of a prehistoric iguanodon.

In Argyll, Ray explores the temperate rainforest, discovers the skia deer, meets local lichenologist, and learns about reintroduction of the European beaver.

Ray continues his celebration of the British landscape and its wildlife. Ray takes a trip down the River Wye in Wales, meeting local experts and observing wildlife.

Ray takes a look around the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire which is the largest area of chalk grassland in the country and home to the largest military training operation.

Ray makes his way to the Yorkshire Dales to learn more about the limestone geology of the pavements, cliffs and caves and the wildlife that depends on it.

Ray takes a look around the ancient forests on the Isle of Wight. The island has no grey squirrels making it a sanctuary for our native endangered red squirrels. Ray talks to Ian White of the People’s Trust for Endangered Species as he takes a look at nest boxes put in to improve the survival chances of the dormouse.

Ray makes his way to the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides looking for marine and coastal wildlife. He meets up with local whale watching skipper James Fairburns as they look for the signs of minke whale and he comes face to face with the world’s second largest fish after he snorkels with a huge basking shark. He finds it hard to stay on his feet as the boat takes him to the epicentre of the Corywreckan whirlpool.