From the Northern Lights to whirling coastal birds, and sunken villages to the annual deer rut, the UK is home to some of the world's finest natural spectacles. With this guide and a little luck, you too can experience the magic of seeing something truly extraordinary.

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Start planning your spectacular year with the help of this practical guide to the UK's most magical natural phenomena. This guide shows you when and where to go, and how to maximise your chances of a sighting, as well as explaining why these amazing spectacles occur in the first place.

Sections cover:

- Space: meteor showers, eclipses and supermoons, Northern Lights
- Weather: hidden currents, mountain waves, named winds
- Tides: tidal bores, tidal races, low tide walks
- Land: autumn colours, wildflower displays, rutting deer
- Rivers and lakes: salmon runs, sunken villages, waterfall wonders
- Coast: wheeling waterbirds, seabird cities, seal pups

Each spectacle is graded according to how easy it is to spot, and the author gives expert tips on achieving the best sighting. Scientific insights describe the astronomical, meteorological and ecological causes of events, which are brought to life through the stories of the people who know them best, from the glider pilots who ride mountain waves to the King's Guides who help people navigate the dangerous sands of Morecombe Bay.

This is your starting point for some truly phenomenal adventures.

Kevin Sene is a keen hillwalker and photographer based in Edinburgh with a scientific background in water and climate. He has written three scientific books on the links between climate, floods and water resources and guides on the Mersey Estuary, tidal bores and the Cumbria and Lake District coast. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Meteorological Society and is an Honorary Researcher at Lancaster University. He has worked and travelled extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia.