Leaders

Sally Nowell & Ailie Brown

Day 1	Arrive at York Station. For those arriving by car, vehicles can be left at the long stay car park for the week. Transfer to Little Weighton, 3 nights Rowley Manor Hotel
Days 2-3	Visit Blacktoft Sands and North Cave Wetlands, as well as the Yorkshire Wolds and the historic town of Beverley.
Days 4-7	Transfer to our coastal location hotel. Explore East Yorkshire area. Visit Bempton Cliffs, Flamborough Head and the North Yorkshire Moors, plus Dalby and Cropton Forest. 4 nights at White Lodge Hotel, Filey
Day 8	After breakfast we travel back to York station where we say our farewells. Make your way home, or if you wish, extend your holiday with a weekend in this beautiful city

Weather	The weather can be changeable, but in the main the temperature should not be below 15 ºC and it can be warm or even hot. Please be prepared, however, for wet and windy weather as well
Walking	Mostly easy walking on level paths up to 3 miles, with perhaps a little more if rarities require it
Meals	All included from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 8
Insects	Could be a problem on occasion at this time of year
Accom	Double, twin and single rooms all ensuite
Group	12

Many folk don’t quite know what wildlife diversity Yorkshire has to offer, so we’ll take you into its hidden forests, along the magnificent coastline and into the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds.

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	*   Just being in Yorkshire!
	*   Varied habitats, coast, grassland, forest and moorland
	*   Comfortable accommodation and great food
	*   Possibly Honey Buzzard, Turtle Dove, Bittern, Bearded Tit
	*   Visit Bempton RSPB seabird cliffs at the peak of activity
	*   Experience wildlife through the eyes of artist Robert Fuller
	*   A relaxed holiday exploring the Yorkshire Nature Triangle

Day 1	We arrive at our hotel near the delightful village of Little Weighton for the next three nights, having met at York Station. Yorkshire is fast becoming one of the best wildlife watching destinations in the country, with the focus on a ‘Nature Triangle’, which offers some of the best of British wildlife, in particular birding. We shall be exploring a wide variety of habitats in the week ahead, some superb woodlands and the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors. and wetlands with extensive reedbeds, along coastal cliffs and estuaries.
Days 2-3	The Wolds are an exceptionally beautiful area and home to soaring Red Kites, Peregrine, Corn Bunting and other grassland birds. Barn Owls frequent some of these valleys too, so as we enjoy the gentle rolling landscape captured in David Hockney’s paintings of this area, we shall be scanning the hillsides and hedgerows for these silent and efficient hunters. Along the quiet country lanes and disused railway tracks now reclaimed by nature, we shall be looking out for farmland bird species and butterflies such as the stunning Marbled White, flitting amongst the native plants typical of chalky soils, including numerous orchid species. From our base here we shall visit RSPB Blacktoft Sands Reserve, a premier wetland with lagoons where Avocet nest on the islands and we’ll look out for waders such as the stunning Spotted Redshank. Here there are vast reedbeds with large numbers of breeding Marsh Harriers, so we hope to get some great views of these fabulous birds. Bittern also breed here, so with luck we may spot one amongst the reeds or even get a ‘fly past’. We make a special effort to see the elusive Bearded Tit and may glimpse Water Rail along the reed edges. This area is also a favoured hunting ground for Barn Owl North Cave Wetlands is just one of over 100 Reserves managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and continues to be developed out of a sand and gravel quarry. With some fantastic and innovative hides, it now hosts a large population of delightful breeding Avocets, but it also provides some varied habitats for warblers, ducks and grassland species. With luck we might catch sight of a Hobby feeding on the plentiful dragonfly population, or Water Vole feeding quietly in the waterways. We shall explore the town of Beverley and its magnificent Minster, an amazing feat of construction dating back to 1250 AD.
Days 4-7	We transfer to our comfortable hotel overlooking the magnificent sweep of Filey Bay and Brigg in time for dinner. Enroute we’ll visit Robert Fuller’s famous art gallery and fantastic wildlife garden. Robert appears on various TV programmes and happily shares his boundless enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment to his local area, its birds and mammals, some of whom we may well get to observe. From our base in Filey this is a great time of year to visit the soaring cliffs of the East Yorkshire coast and a highlight of this holiday is undoubtedly our visit to Bempton. We’ll view it from the clifftops, host to Europe’s largest mainland population of Gannets, which can number over 20,000 in spring and summer, so be prepared to be amazed when we get eyeball to eyeball views of Gannets hanging in the wind! As well as Gannets we expect to see significant numbers of Razorbills, Guillemots, Fulmar, Kittiwake and Puffin and in the scrub and grasslands Whitethroats and Tree Sparrows are often also present. Other coastal sites we may visit include Flamborough Head and Hornsea Mere. If weather permits we may take a boat trip out from Bridlington to view Bempton cliffs from below. We shall also explore the glorious tapestry landscape of the North Yorkshire Moors. In this moorland landscape we shall be looking for Red Grouse, Golden Plover, Curlew and Lapwing. In the vast forests we shall look for Honey Buzzard and Turtle Dove, all tricky species to catch up with, but in scenery such as this the hunt can be part of the pleasure. We shall also be making an evening visit to forested areas looking and listening for Nightjar.
Day 8	After breakfast we shall transfer back to York station where we say our farewells.

Just some of what we hope to see..

Gannet	Avocet	Skylark
Fulmar	Barn Owl	Corn Bunting
Puffin	Tawny Owl	Tree Sparrow
Guillemot	Little Owl	Bearded Tit
Razorbill	Curlew	Cetti's Warbler
Red Kite	Golden Plover	Water Rail
Honey Buzzard	Lapwing	Bittern
Peregrine Falcon	Red Grouse	Spoonbill
Hobby	Yellowhammer