Common toads and badgers are the UK’s most talked-about wildlife right now, according to new data from outdoor accommodation site Pitchup.com. The ranking, based on Google search trends and TikTok views, comes alongside a list of the top 10 UK campsites for wildlife watching, chosen from nearly 200,000 customer reviews, to help families get closer to nature this autumn.
Interest in wildlife holidays is booming. Google searches for “nature breaks” are up 240% year on year, and use of Pitchup.com’s birdwatching filter has risen 65% so far this year compared with last.
It comes as research shows many children are missing out on simple outdoor experiences. More than half of children in England (55%) have never climbed a tree, and 61% have never collected conkers or camped in a tent.
Top 10 trending wildlife in the UK
Pitchup.com ranked the animals by the rise in Google searches over the past 12 months compared with the previous 12, alongside TikTok hashtag views.
| Rank | Animal | Google search increase | TikTok hashtag views |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common toad | 5,000% | 3.1 billion |
| 2 | Badgers | 5,000% | 243.8 million |
| 3 | Deer | 10% | 14.1 billion |
| 4 | Otter | 2% | 4.4 billion |
| 5 | Hedgehog | 8% | 3.5 billion |
| 6 | Woodpecker | 400% | 369.9 million |
| 7 | Grey seal | 300% | 57.3 million |
| 8 | Puffin | 70% | 84.5 million |
| 9 | Barn owl | 20% | 244.2 million |
| 10 | Bats | 5% | 1.6 million |
Winged wildlife is taking off
Woodpeckers, puffins, barn owls and bats all feature among the fastest-growing searches. That’s a woodland bird, a coastal bird, a nocturnal hunter and a flying mammal, which suggests birdwatching and wildlife spotting in general are growing as camping activities, rather than one viral moment driving the numbers.
Deer rule TikTok
Deer have racked up 14.1 billion TikTok hashtag views, more than any other animal on the list, even though searches rose just 10%. They are easiest to spot at dawn, when they leave woodland cover to graze in open fields, and during the autumn rut, when stags can be heard bellowing from over a mile away.
Top 10 UK campsites for wildlife watching
These are the campsites Pitchup.com customers rated as true wildlife havens, based on nearly 200,000 reviews:
- The Wildings Elms Meadow, Norfolk
- Langley Wilding Campsite, Derbyshire
- Waveney Wild Woods and Camp, Suffolk
- Everwild Camping, Lincolnshire
- Broadway Farm Camping, Gloucestershire
- Wild Meadow Camping, Ceredigion
- Kingsettle Camping Retreat, Somerset
- Aeron View Camping, Ceredigion
- Hincknowle Cider Apple Farm Camping, Dorset
- Nyth Robin, Gwynedd
Top spot goes to The Wildings Elms Meadow in Norfolk, a small rewilded site near the Broads. Dragonflies gather over its wildlife pond, deer and hares roam the surrounding fields, and the dawn chorus is your wake-up call.
In second place is Langley Wilding Campsite in Derbyshire. Set in a wildflower meadow on a family-run estate managed for biodiversity, it has woodland, ponds, streams and hedgerows, and sits just 15 minutes from the Peak District.
Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, said: “Some of the best wildlife encounters in the UK happen not in a nature documentary, but on a Wednesday evening from a tent doorway. These campsites prove that guests don’t need to travel far to see something remarkable, a heron on the water, a red kite overhead, or a family of deer at dusk. With so many children growing up without these everyday moments in nature, we think there’s never been a better reason to pitch up somewhere wild.”
Top tips for spotting wildlife on a family camping trip
Go at dawn or dusk. Mammals and many birds are most active early in the morning and early in the evening, when campsites are quiet. That stillness gives you a much better chance of seeing something move.
Stay still and stay quiet. Sudden noise and movement send wildlife running. Find a spot near water or at the edge of a wood and wait. As Dan puts it, “Patience does more than persistence.”
Bring binoculars, not a zoom lens. Binoculars give a closer, clearer view than a camera zoom, especially for birdwatching, and you won’t be fiddling with settings while the moment passes. A small pair for the kids can make the trip even more exciting.
