Earlier in the year, Bob and I had a wonderful holiday up in Scotland, focusing mostly on the Isle of Mull. I've written several blog posts about this trip, which you can read by clicking on this link . However, at the start and the end of our time up north, we went looking for new butterfly species for me - ones we don't see in the south of England. I'm currently in the process of trying to see all UK butterfly species. During our last few days of that holiday, we were in Cumbria searching for the Large Heath, Northern Brown Argus and the Mountain Ringlet. It was too early for the High Brown Fritillary following the cool damp spring, however, there was a chance of seeing some in early August, albeit potentially very tatty and right at the end of their flight season. We'd already started mulling over the idea of returning to Cumbria at that time of year to see another butterfly species new to me, the Scotch Argus. The opportunity to see both species was too tempting to pass by. So, we returned to Cumbria on 6th August, but this time just for two days. It was all we could fit in to our schedule.

After our wonderful holiday up in Scotland, which I've written about in my previous posts - the last of which was Other Mull Highliahts - Bob and I headed to Cumbria. It was a great way for us to break up our journey south. We were based in Kendal. We had three full days and three new butterfly species for me to find: Large Heath, Northern Brown Argus and Mountain Ringlet. None of these species can be found in the south and I'm currently on a quest to see all species of Butterfly in the UK (mainland). I knew it was going to be a challenge because once again, the weather really wasn't on our side with mostly rain, wind and overcast conditions. But, after our success in Fort William and seeing my first Chequered Skipper in less than ideal conditions, I was optimistic there was still a chance of success, albeit small. DAY 1 Our focus on the Saturday was the Large Heath butterfly. It's a species that's endangered in the UK because so much of its habitat has been destroyed. They like wet boggy land and Meathop Moss Nature Reserve is a great place to see them. It was less than 30 minutes drive from our hotel. We headed off in really dreary weather wondering how the day ahead would unfold.

June 2024 We had a great start to our extended holiday, seeing the Chequered Skipper butterfly on our first evening in Scotland, having a fabulous stay in Fort William , and then seeing the Black Guillemots In Oban on our way to the Isle of Mull. I felt sure our luck would continue and we'd have a fabulous two weeks on the island. During the first week, we stayed in a wonderful self-catering cottage in Dervaig, in the northwest. Although most of our time that week was spent in this part of the island, on our first day we drove back east to Duart Castle, which we'd seen the day before from the ferry.

May 2024 This is the second post about my extended holiday up north earlier this year with my partner Bob. Our main focus during our first week of the holiday, whilst being based in Fort William, was looking for the Chequered Skipper butterfly, a species new to me. But, there were lots of other wildlife delights during that week. We left home on the Sunday of the late May Bank Holiday and drove up to Keswick in the Lake District for an overnight stop. Although we had hoped to fit in a butterfly foray in the late afternoon, that wasn't to be and instead we walked around the town and on to Derwent Water nearby. In the afternoon, lots of people were walking along the footpaths, or relaxing on the grass or by the water's edge. But later, when we returned after dinner, there were far fewer people. We enjoyed a lovely peaceful evening stroll and watched a probable Goosander gliding along the water, occasioanlly diving down for food. By this time, the light had improved. The sun was catching the tops of the clouds, reflected nicely in the water. There was a light breeze that caused a gentle rippling of the water that was very calming. When we made our way back into town, we walked along one of the narrow streets and some Swifts flew overhead quite close to us. It was in that playful manner, calling to each other - virtually squeaking with delight it seemed. I've never really heard this before, or at least been aware of it. We stopped a few times to appreciate the sound and watched with pleasure as they performed their aerial display. I think Bob was even more thrilled than me, reminiscing of days gone by when Swift numbers were far more numerous back home.

May/June 2024 Right at the end of May and into June, my partner Bob and I enjoyed a fabulous extended holiday up in Scotland and Cumbria, for three and a half weeks. We had four different bases over the course of this time with different focuses in each area. In Fort William it was butterflies and insects, on the Isle of Mull we had two different bases and we wanted to see a variety of insects, birds and mammals, and then down in Cumbria, on our way home, our focus was once again on butterflies. You may have already read about my quest to see all the butterfly species in Sussex ( Discovering Butterflies of Sussex ). Now, I'm trying to see all species within the UK, something Bob has already achieved (back in 2015). I've written a few posts about this new butterfly journey so far: A Day Trip to Wiltshire and A Butterfly Quest in Somerset and Dorset . Both outings took place in 2023 and were relatively close to home. This time our journey took us up north, specifically organised around seeing new species for me - ones we don't have in the south of England. This post is the first of several that I'll write about our amazing trip and is a continuation of my butterfly quest. We started our adventure in Fort William, Scotland and the primary target was the gorgeous Chequered Skipper ( Carterocephalus palaemon ). It's one of eight species of Skipper we have in the UK and one of the three that are distinctly more patterened and not so golden in colour. After two days of travelling up north, with a stopover in Keswick on the way up, we arrived in Fort William by the mid afternoon. We had plenty of time to do a food shop and settle into our luxury self-catering pod, which would be our home for the next four nights. It was a fairly warm partly sunny afternoon and it seemed a shame not to make the most of the day. The weather forecast for the days ahead was not ideal for butterfly spotting, with a lot of wet and windy weather looming. So, we decided to have a quick bite to eat and then head off with our cameras to Glen Loy. It was still light when we arrived at about 6.30pm, but by then it was more cloudy and we were feeling slightly dubious about our chances of spotting any Chequred Skippers. At least this far north, the days were longer, so we still had a few hours to explore. It's just as well we like a challenge! After parking the car off the road, we headed to the river where we saw a Common Sandpiper fly past. What a lovely welcome! We crossed the bridge and continued walking slowly alongside the river, near the road, looking for any insects. I remained hopeful and positive I would see my first Chequered Skipper that evening and, to be honest, it wasn't long before Bob spotted one resting on a blade of grass. I was thrilled! What a relief!