If I was to write a proper bucket list (I’ve only half-heartedly done it so far), there would only ever be one thing at the top of it – visiting the Falkland Islands.

I can honestly say that from my mid-teens to my early twenties, I developed something close to an obsession with the place and I think it all started with a Channel 4 documentary series marking the 10th anniversary of the 1982 war. The war ended a month before my sixth birthday but despite my age at the time, I do remember some of the news commentary. I remember the TV images of the burning Sir Galahad and the radio bulletin announcing that white flags were flying over Stanley. Most of all, however, I remember the images of servicemen being carried on stretchers off a ship newly arrived back from the South Atlantic. As a young child those images particularly stuck in my mind and probably helped to spark my interest 10 years later.

Whilst I still have an interest in the war, particularly after reading so many books about it, the islands now hold another fascination for me – their natural environment and the wildlife they support. From the very different bird species, including loads of penguins, to the equally different sea mammals and the dramatic, windswept landscapes; the islands have a lot to offer someone interested in all things natural. Well, although I only have a part written bucket list, I may as well start ticking things off and there’s nowhere better to start than right at the very top! So next Sunday I’m off to make a 22 year old dream come true – I have an RAF flight to catch!

I’m going to blog as much as I can while I’m down there, but will have to wait and see when it comes to getting internet connection.