Simon's Bike for Butterflies

See map here

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Tue 22nd June - Day 1

• Land’s End to Truro

• Visiting Upton Towans - Cornwall Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve

• Target species: Silver-studded Blue

• Later visiting Bissoe Valley - Cornwall Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve

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Wed 23rd June

• Truro to Bodmin

• Visiting Goss Moor National Nature Reserve

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Thu 24th June

• Bodmin to  Holsworthy

• Promoting BC’s recent All the Moors project at St Breward, the Butterfly Capital of Cornwall. See YouTube video.

• Target species: Marsh Fritillary, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

 

Fri 25th June

• Holsworthy to Stoke Rivers (10km beyond Barnstaple)

• Possible visit to Torrington Commons possible species Purple Hairstreak, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

• Possible visit to Braunton Burrows or Uppacott Wood (Devon Wildlife Trust) or Whiddon Valley Woods

 

Sat 26th June

• Stoke Rivers to Waterrow (SW of Wiveliscombe), over Exmoor

• Visiting Haddon Moor Butterfly Conservation Reserve and Haddon Hill

• Target species: Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Heath Fritillary

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Sun 27th June

• Waterrow to Glastonbury

• Too wet to visit Collard Hill NT reserve or Green Down, Somerset Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve

• Target species: the re-introduced Large Blue

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Mon 28th June

• Glastonbury to Bristol

• Visiting Westbury Beacon (possibly Stoke Camp) Butterfly Conservation reserve

• Possible visit to Ubley Warren reserve (tbc)

• Target species: Dingy Skipper, Small Heath and others

 

Tues 29th June

• Bristol to Stroud

• Promoting urban butterflies in Bristol - follow transect walk around Narroways NR

• Possible visits to Arnos Vale Cemetery, Clifton Downs, Leigh Woods NNR

 

Wed 30th June

• Stroud to Worcester

• Day at Rough Bank Butterfly Conservation reserve, arranged by the Gloucestershire Branch of BC (tbc)

• Target species: limestone grassland specialists, eg. Small Blue, Brown Argus, Green Hairstreak

 

Thu 1st July - Day 10

• Worcester to Stourport-on-Severn

• Visiting Monkwood Butterfly Conservation reserve

• Target species: White Admiral (possible Wood White and egg search)

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Fri 2nd July

• Stourport-on-Severn to Wem

• Visiting Wyre Forest National Nature Reserve

• Target species: Silver-washed Fritillary (possible Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary)

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Sat 3rd July

• Wem to Nantwich

• Visiting Prees Heath Common Butterfly Conservation reserve

• Target species: Silver-studded Blue

 

Sun 4th July

• Nantwich to Manchester

• Visiting Leftwich Meadows Nature Reserve

• Target species: White-letter Hairstreak colonies near Northwich

 

Mon 5th July

• Manchester to Old Langho (Whalley)

• Visiting Milnshaw Park Wildflower Meadow (Accrington)

• Possible visit to Summerseat Lancashire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve - tbc

 

Tue 6th July

• Whalley to Borwick

• Visiting Bell Sykes Farm Coronation Meadows (SSSI), near Slaidburn

• Over the Cross o' Greet in The Forest of Bowland

 

Wed 7th July

• Borwick to Kendal

• Wildlife event at Myers Allotment Butterfly Conservation reserve (10th Anniversary of BC management)

• Target species: High Brown Fritillary, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Northern Brown Argus

• Visit Holme Stinted Pastures for High Brown Fritillary

 

Thu 8th July

• Kendal to Penrith over Shap Fell

• Side trip to Whitbarrow National Nature Reserve (car): Township Plantation, White Scar (Northern Brown Argus, Grayling), Latterbarrow CWT, Meathop Moss CWT (Large Skipper)

• Target species: High Brown Fritillary, other fritillaries

• Sainsbury's Car Park, Kendal - White-letter Hairstreak

 

Fri 9th July

• Penrith to Gretna Green

• Wildflower meadow in Carlisle

 

Sat 10th July

• Gretna Green to Abington

• Lochwood Moss peat bog near Beattock - peat stripping concerns

• Target species: Large Heath

• Possible detour to Fruid Reservoir for Northern Brown Argus

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Sun 11th July - Day 20

• Abington to Glasgow

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Mon 12th July

• Glasgow to Stirling

• Promoting Butterfly Conservation's Helping Hands project in Glasgow - Elder Park, Ruchill Park and Springburn Park

• Forth and Clyde Canal towpath

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Tue 13th July

• Stirling to Callander

• Visiting Wester Moss Butterfly Conservation reserve and Fallin Bing

• Target species: Large Heath (if not too late in the flight season)

• Callander Riverside Meadows

 

Wed 14th July

• Callander to Killin

• Look for small colony of Purple Hairstreaks in Killin

 

Thu 15th July

• Killin to Pitlochry

• Visit to Ben Lawers (north of Loch Tay) for Mountain Ringlet

 

Fri 16th July

• Pitlochry to Kingussie

• Had to cancel the Moth trap at Kingussie

• Visiting Insh Marshes RSPB reserve

• Launch of the Big Butterfly Count - world's biggest citizen science project for butterflies

 

Sat 17th July

• Kingussie to Inverness

 

Sun 18th July

• Inverness to Lairg

• Nigg Dunes, north of Cromarty - Small Copper

• Gearrchoille Community Wood, Ardgay

 

Mon 19th July

• Lairg to Skail, north of Syre in Strathnaver

• Across the Flow Country

• Roadside verges by Altnaharra

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Tue 20th July

• Skail to Thurso

 

Wed 21st July - Day 30

• Thurso to John o’Groats

• Visit "Burn of Midsands" Coronation Meadow, Dunnet Beach

• Visit Dunnet Head RSPB Reserve - most northerly point of the British mainland

• John o'Groats

• Hooray!

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High points

• 482m on Exmoor (Grid Ref: SS 74765 36245)

• 462m at the Pass of Drumochter in the Scottish Highlands

• 429m in the Forest of Bowland

• 418m at Ben Lawers car park (walked up to 628m - the highest point of the trip)

• 407m at Slochd Summit near Inverness

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Distance: 12,200 miles / 1,964km

Total climb (and descent): over 19,000m

 

Resources

Sustrans: www.sustrans.org.uk

Cycling UK: www.cyclinguk.org

Butterfly Conservation: www.butterfly-conservation.org

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