Yorkshire in Summer 2026
by Sally Nowell
What a fabulous ‘summer holiday’ we’ve just had in glorious Yorkshire. We started off with three nights in the market town of Beverley in a really super hotel. On our first morning we visited Beverley Minster, where we were treated to some fantastic views of the resident Peregrines, an adult and three juveniles, obviously very competent parents! We then headed off, armed with an array of delicious sandwiches, including fresh Bridlington Crab. We were soon heading out into the Yorkshire Wolds, where our first stop was a small chalk quarry, which turned out to be a couple of guests' favourite place, where we encountered our first Marbled White Butterflies. In fact, as we arrived the sun came out and we are literally enveloped in a cloud of different butterflies and plants. We wandered in this sheltered spot for an hour or more, getting to grips with chalkland plants and butterflies. Sadly, the heatwave meant some orchid species were over, but there were still some magnificent Pyramidal Orchids and other plants included Common Centaury and Yellow-wort. Our botanising set the scene for the rest of the holiday, which focused not just on birds, but plants and insects too. We continued to a wonderful and ever-expanding local Reserve, North Cave Wetlands.
Marbled White Bee Orchid Tawny Owl
Our next day was spent around the Humber Estuary, with birding highlights here being two good views of Bittern in flight, a large group of preening Spoonbill, plus Bearded Tit and Spotted Redshank. We left Beverley and made our way back across the Yorkshire Wolds, stopping at some local Reserves, enjoying various odonatan including Banded Demoiselles. A lively family of Marsh Harriers whirled overhead and noisy Tree Sparrows popped up in the dense scrub. We moved on into another secluded chalk quarry, again filled with butterflies and wildflowers and then to the Robert Fuller Gallery, where Robert introduced us to a young Buzzard he’d just rescued and took us to see some young Tawny Owls, which he spotted using his thermal binoculars.
It is a scenic drive to our next destination, FIley, where our hotel looked out across the wide Filey Bay and Filey Brigg. Our first day focused on Bempton Cliffs. We visited the RSPB Reserve, with close views of the magnificent Gannets, along with all the other seabirds that occupy the 400ft high cliffs. In the afternoon we took a boat trip along the coast and below Bempton, where we got spectacular views of the cliffs and appreciated just how many birds there were, both on the cliffs and in the water. We finished our Bempton day with an ice cream along the sea front.
Next day we headed to the North Yorkshire Moors, where the forests are rich in bird, plant and insect life. A highlight here was a Goshawk flypast, with Red Grouse, Golden Plover and the beautiful landscape. In the evening we returned to the moors to look for Nightjar and were rewarded with a great show, a highlight of the trip for many of us. Views of the Nightjar were fleeting, but the sound of the wing-clapping and ‘churring’ captivated us all. It was so loud and atmospheric and well worth going out for.
Our final day was spent initially on Flamborough cliffs, where Puffin views were fantastic. This was followed by yet another ice cream, which must be done when you are at the seaside on a sunny day! We headed back to the rather beautiful Forge Valley, to find a cool and shady walk on a hot day and were rewarded with views of Beautiful Demoiselle and a fly-over by a very special bird, a Honey Buzzard. We finally returned to Filey one last time, visiting a local Reserve, where we were surprised by a family of Barn Owls in one of the nest boxes. A visit to Filey Brigg gave us views across the town, which won the hearts of our guests and was a great place to end our wonderful holiday.
If you would like to join next year's trip, you’ll find further information and bookings here. Please email us or phone 01479 812498 if you have any queries.
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