Once upon a time, there was a homesick Englishman living in Arizona, longing to return to Northumberland and its spectacular wildlife. With a lifelong passion for natural history, and the experience of leading many successful field trips for the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club, he dreamed of providing expert guidance and support for visitors to Northumberland as they searched for some of our most enthralling, but rarely observed wildlife.
The idea was never far from his mind when he came home and spent six years teaching chemistry in rural Northumberland. His passion deepened when he led a successful school trip to the Isle of Mull, in search of whales and eagles.
Finally, he left the teaching profession and followed his dream of providing an unforgettable wildlife experience for visitors to Northumberland and the Borders.
Northern Experience Wildlife Tours was born...
Martin leads all of our tours. A former teacher, Martin was also Field Trips Officer for the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club between 1997-2003.
Having organised a whale and eagle watching trip to Mull for 13-15 year olds while still teaching, and many day trips and residentials for the NTBC, including a return crossing of the Bay of Biscay in 2002, Martin was already a very experienced tour organiser/leader when he began leading trips for Northern Experience.
As an author and former editor of the highly rated annual report, Birds in Northumbria, Martin possesses an extensive knowledge of Northumberland. His special interests are birds of prey, cetaceans, photography and moths, but he still finds himself fascinated and captivated by all of the wildlife that is around us.
Sarah Barratt has many years experience of the wildlife of Northumberland, and was the first female chairman of the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club, having previously held posts as Secretary and Treasurer.
Although mainly involved with the administration of the business, she likes to accompany guests on tours wherever possible, and spends most, if not all, of her spare time checking sites and finding new locations for that spectacular wildlife experience...