The bay of beyond

摘要

THE FIN WHALE is the second-largest animal on the planet. It is 27 metres long and weighs 80 tonnes, if! were to swim alongside one of these ocean giants, my 5ft 7in frame would barely exceed the length of its fluke. The fin is only marginally superseded by the blue whale, a creature as large as a Boeing 747 and with a heart the size of a VW Beetle. This animal is so enormous that you could dangle a small child down its blowhole. I had high hopes of seeing both of these giants - as well as many othercetaceans and seabirds - on a recent whale-watching cruise. While the world's largest creature eluded me, the fin whales did not disappoint. And to see this spectacular wildlife, all I had to do was pop down the English Channel and turn left. This short hop brought me to the Bay of Biscay, a place to which, if I'm honest, I've never given much thought.