Another wonderful day out with Bob Eade, such a knowledgeable and engaging guide. It's become an annual event, a day when I know I shall get good views of a wide range of butterfly and moth species (the only time I ever get to see green hairstreaks close-up), in the company of a group of like-minded people, in this beautiful Sussex landscape. [Naturetrek] A company that scores highly on providing everything the clientele could wish for - trips very well organised, excellent leaders, great range of tours offered, good communication.
V.Y. London, May 23
Tour Itinerary and Reports
Butterflies of Cradle Valley - East Sussex (Day Trip)
Tour Code: GBR208A day in this picturesque, little-known corner of Sussex to enjoy the many species of butterflies which can be found on the wing in the Cradle Valley.
£60 (land only)
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
Quick Enquiry
Summary
Cradle Valley, situated to the north of the coastal town of Seaford in East Sussex, is relatively unknown unless you are a keen lepidopterist. This valley, which comprises chalk grassland and hawthorn scrub, is the perfect habitat for an exciting variety of butterflies. In May, Wall butterflies are particularly abundant here, as are Green Hairstreaks, Grizzled Skippers, Brown Argus, Dingy Skippers and Small Coppers, as well as the commoner species. Adonis Blues can also be seen in late May and early June. As the season progresses into mid-July, the likes of Silver-spotted Skippers, Marbled Whites and Chalk-Hill Blues thrive here. The area is also reliable for its abundance of wildflowers; visits in late June and early July will provide sightings of ‘late-form’ Burnt-tip Orchids, as well as many Fragrant and Common Spotted Orchids. Your tour leader, Bob Eade, has been studying and surveying this site for many years and his local knowledge will allow plenty of opportunity to observe, and photograph, the key species of the area.
The meeting time will be at 9.30am and the walk will total no more than four miles. The ground is undulating in places, but walks will be at a slow pace to enjoy the wildlife (and the views).
- May butterflies include Wall, Green Hairstreak, Grizzled Skipper, Brown Argus and Adonis Blue
- In June, the late form of Burnt-tip Orchid can be abundant as well as many butterflies
- Fragrant, Pyramidal and Common Spotted Orchids
- From mid-July, Silver-spotted Skippers, Marbled Whites and Chalk-Hill Blue
- Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs and Bullfinches are common here
- Wonderful views of the Cuckmere Valley and Sussex Downs
Day Trip Location
Reviews
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The weather in the previous few days had been disappointing and our expectations were very low. However it was a bright and sunny day and we were a manageable group of seven plus our leader Bob Eade and a trainee guide Megan. Bob’s knowledge of butterflies, flora and general insects and wildlife was exceptional. Megan too had an enormous wealth of information concerning plants and insects and will be a great asset to Naturetrek in the future. We had a picnic lunch in the sunshine and certainly gained a lot of information about butterflies and found an incredible number of species (14) and also some very special emperor moths lured by a pheromone lure. It was a wonderful day out and thanks goes to the leaders for making it so enjoyable.
M.J. West Sussex, May 23 -
Good planning and communications in advance. The locally-based and personable guide was very knowledgeable and led an appropriately slow-paced walk, drawing attention to the butterflies and other wildlife to be seen.
M.C. Oxfordshire, Jun 21 -
From an unpromising start with rather cold, showery forecast, so we feared butterflies might not venture out, it turned into a brilliant day. Things warmed up, the sun shone and, thanks to our exceptional guide, we ended up seeing far more species of butterfly (and moth), and getting good, repeated views, including several firsts as far as I was concerned, and all this in the most beautiful landscape and with continuous birdsong, exceeding all our expectations. Naturetrek is a great company, with such a good understanding of what would appeal to its target audience, trips so well organised, and with outstanding guides, who are so knowledgeable and a pleasure to spend time with.
V.Y. London, May 21
Dates & Prices
2025
Tour Leader: Bob Eade
Bob has been interested in wildlife ever since he was just six years of age when he would watch the wildlife around him whilst he was fishing. When he was 12, he started photographing what he saw and some 50 years later he is still doing much the same, although fishing is a thing of the past now.
The usual break away from this was as he brought up his two sons, one of whom also got the wildlife bug and is now working full time for Naturetrek.
Bob's main wildlife interest now is in Lepidoptera, and he has had many photographs published over the years, mainly in magazines for the Wildlife Trusts and Butterfly Conservation, as well as several books.
Much of his time is spent studying the Wall Brown butterfly and he is the species champion for this species for the Sussex branch of Butterfly Conservation.
He also has a great interest in all other aspects of wildlife, particularly odonata, orchids, birds and Badgers.
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We are delighted to offer a series of Naturetrek Day Trips which visit a wonderful selection of reserves and habitats across the UK, each guided by one of our expert naturalist tour leaders, many of whom are leading our Day Trips on their own ‘local patch’! Meeting at around 9am, and exploring largely on foot until around 5pm (though note that specific Day Trip timings do vary slightly by location and season), these trips are designed to spend a full day out in the fresh air, in search of a wide range of special British wildlife.
Whether you would like to explore a new area in the company of a local, expert naturalist tour leader, try a guided wildlife day out for the very first time, or perhaps you simply wish to spend the day learning more about your own local wildlife, you will find yourself most welcome on one of our Naturetrek Day Trips. We also offer days out specifically aimed at beginner birders and amateur wildlife photographers, and some trips even extend after sunset to allow us to take you on a guided tour of the night skies above. Whatever the trip focus – be it birds, botany, fungi, photography, butterflies, dragonflies, geology or a mix of just about everything – your leader will take you to the very best places to search for wildlife, and will share their knowledge generously along the way.
Our Day Trips have been fully risk assessed, and all activities are carried out in line with UK government and industry Covid-19 guidance. Most Day Trips from 17th May 2021 onwards will have a maximum number of 7 people, with a handful, such as cruises with a slightly higher number. We have also been certified as 'Good to Go'; the domestic tourism industry standard mark for Covid-19 protocols. Your safety is paramount, and we will be complying fully with UK government guidance throughout all of our Day Trips.
How to Book
The price for all our standard Naturetrek Day Trips is £50 per person and payment is by debit card only. You can book online, or you are very welcome to book over the phone by calling us on 01962 733051. Some Day Trips operate seasonally, and we are continuing to add additional departure dates for our fully booked Day Trips, so if you would like to be added to our wait list for any of these trips please just email info@naturetrek.co.uk or register your interest via the tour page.
Joining Instructions for Day Trips
[params] => stdClass Object ( [category_layout] => [image_az] => https://i.assetzen.net/i/SrjQ75yotFrO/w:500/h:500/q:70.jpg [image_alt] => ) [metakey] => Day Trips [note] => 33 [parent] => stdClass Object ( [id] => 165 [parent_id] => 1 [level] => 1 [path] => tour-focus [title] => Tour Focus [alias] => tour-focus [description] => [params] => stdClass Object ( [category_layout] => [image_az] => [image_alt] => ) [metakey] => [note] => ) ) )If you, or someone that you have been in close contact with, has displayed symptoms of Covid-19 in the 14 days prior to the Day Trip, or if you receive an alert from NHS Track and Trace, you MUST NOT JOIN the Day Trip. Please let us know in the Naturetrek office as soon as possible and we will be happy to refund you in full.
- Upon booking we will email you with a designated meeting point and confirmed timings, along with contact details for your tour leader.
- During some Day Trips we will each use our own vehicle to move the short distances in between sites (group transport is not provided).
- Please do not bring your dog, or other pets, as they may disturb the wildlife!
- Please bring your own lunch.
- Please bring plenty of water, snacks, hand sanitiser, tissues, your own face covering (this will not be compulsory whilst we are out in the fresh air and wide open spaces throughout during the day but may be required to enter toilets, visitor centres, etc.) along with anything else that you might need for the day. You will need to be able to carry everything yourself. Suitable footwear (walking shoes or walking boots) will be essential, along with sensible layers and waterproofs plus sun hat and sun cream or woolly hat and gloves etc., depending on the weather forecast.
- Wherever possible, we will try to arrange comfort breaks during the day. On some of our more remote Day Trips this isn’t always possible, and on those occasions you will need to be prepared for the odd ‘bush stop’! If this is likely, we will alert you in the joining instructions beforehand. Please be stringent with hygiene when using public facilities.
- We ask you to respect minimum social distancing AT ALL TIMES (currently 2m where possible between households at the time of writing, but could be updated at any time). To help ensure this, we ask group members and tour leaders not to share optics, field guides or any other equipment.
- Finally, please do share your photos and favourite wildlife sightings with us … we love seeing them! Tweet @naturetrektours, Instagram @naturetrek_wildlife_holidays or find us on facebook.com/naturetrekwildlifeholidays
Should the dates we offer not suit you, or should you wish to have a private, tailored Day Trip, we will be delighted to arrange this for you. Please just call Georgie Head on 01962 733051, or fill out our quick enquiry form and we will get back to you. For inspiration for a Tailormade UK break, please see our Tailormade UK holidays.
Tailormade Day Trips
Reviews:
'The Naturetrek £50 days out have been a lifesaver this year. What better way than to spend a day in the open with four other like minded people in the company of a brilliant guide who can tell you all about the geology, flors and fauna of the area. I’ve been on three of these days with more booked for the future. The days are full, meeting at 9.00am and not finishing until 5.00pm, maybe slightly earlier in the darker winter months, with about 45 minutes for our picnic lunch but never have I ever looked at my watch and wished the time would pass more quickly. Quite the opposite in fact, the time passed so quickly I was amazed when we found ourselves back at the car park. Value for money? Yes, definitely. Thank you Naturetrek.'
VB – The Naze and Walton Backwaters (Essex)
‘The Upper Teesdale Day Trip was brilliant and Andy Bunten was an exceptional guide. So very knowledgeable and an expert spotter, but equally important he had great communication skills so that no-one felt remotely patronised or afraid to ask the most basic of questions. The organisation of the day was impeccably planned too. This was my first Naturetrek outing but I have friends who regularly use you and have spoken of your trips in glowing terms. So I will certainly look at your website and I will hope to travel with you at some point in the future.’
KS – Teesdale‘We had a lovely day on Monday; Matt was terrific - particularly with us being beginners at bird watching! The other attendees were very interesting and one in particular was extremely knowledgeable. So we learned a lot - just got to remember it now! We are looking at the other day trips available to see if we can do another one.’
Ashdown Forest‘I wanted to write to thank you for organising your new Day Trips. It’s an excellent idea and something to give hope to many people, who are keen to get out and about, and to experience the beauty of nature closer to home. Our trip to the Ashdown Forest on Friday was excellent. The weather was kind to us, a lovely sunny, English summer day, but it was our guide, Matt Eade, who made it special. Quite how Matt managed to arrange Goshawk, two Honey-buzzards, Hobby, Treecreeper, and a whole host of other species was remarkable.
Spotted Flycatcher is the personal favourite of my husband Simon – and Matt knew where to find two of them. Simon was over the moon!It was a top day. Matt was informative, very knowledgeable, engaging, encouraging, always happy to help, provide insights and share his knowledge and experiences. He paced the walk just right, thoughtful about short breaks where needed. I worked for 8 years as a Tour Director around Europe and I know how exceptionally hard it can be to keep everyone happy!’
Ashdown Forest‘The trip exceeded our already high expectations. Andy Bunten was kind, humorous, thoughtful and his knowledge of the wildlife truly exceptional. It was a real pleasure and privilege to be in his company.’
KE – Teesdale‘So nice to be on a Naturetrek trip again and had a thoroughly enjoyable day with Russ and our other companions. Everyone just got on even though we had not met before. Looking forward to our next day trip!’
LD – Smardale‘We had a great day, thank you. Matthew Capper was an excellent guide, giving us a wealth of information about the ecology, conservation and social history of the area as well as the wildlife, and having an amazing ability to detect birdlife out of nowhere. The Lammergeier before we'd even left the meeting point was of course spectacular, but it was Matthew's commitment to searching for the birds and Mountain Hares which impressed me even more. We also appreciated his patience and good humour, and his determination to make sure that all 5 of us got to see everything. These day trips are a brilliant idea. We are really looking forward to our next Naturetrek Day in a couple of weeks.’
AB – Peak District
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
EnquireWhy Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
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