Newsround's top 5 British islands
- Published
Lewis and Harris, in Scotland, has just been named as the best island in Europe by a travel website. That got us thinking - what about the other amazing islands Britain has to offer!? Here are five we think missed out on making it to number one.
FIVE: ANGLESEY. Just off the North coast of Wales, in the Irish Sea. This island is not only home to a wealth of Welsh wildlife, it also housed our favourite royal couple - Kate and William - for three years whilst the Duke of Cambridge worked as a search and rescue pilot there.
FOUR: TRESCO. The second-biggest island in the Isles of Scilly can only be reached by flight or ferry. It's famous for its beautiful blue waters and the fact that it was once home to King Henry I.
THREE: ST. KILDA. Forty miles west of Scotland's Outer Hebrides, it's been described as the 'Jurassic Park' of Britain because of it's enormous cliffs (the highest in the British Isles) and sprawling coastline. You wont find dinosaurs there, but the island is home to some of the oldest remaining Bronze and Iron age ruins.
TWO: LUNDY ISLAND. This little island in the Bristol Channel is famous for its marine wildlife. It sits where warm southern currents meet cooler northern waters, creating perfect conditions for a large number of rare sea-life, including more than 300 different species of seaweed!
ONE: ORKNEY ISLANDS. This group of islands off the coast of Scotland, made up of 70 mini-islands, used to be part of Norway! Only about 20 of them have people living there. It's a bird-watcher's dream - home to sea bird species such as puffins, kittiwakes, tysties, ravens and the great Skua. Throughout the islands you can also spot common and grey seals basking on the rocky coastline, along with porpoises, minke whales, dolphins and orcas which often make their way through Orkney’s waters.