2013 is the Year of Natural Scotland (according to VisitScotland anyway). With vast expansions of wilderness, any year’s a good one to make the most of one of the world’s most rugged and beautiful landscapes. To celebrate the best of natural Scotland, VisitScotland has teamed up with Scottish Natural Heritage to “showcase some of the country’s best loved wildlife” with a list of Scotland’s Big Five.
The list includes the golden eagle, the harbour seal, the otter, the red deer and the red squirrel, all of which are native species and can still be viewed in their natural habitats. Here’s a quick look at these five fantastic animals with tips on where best to spot them in the Scottish wild.