Epic Butterfly Walk!

[dilettante]

2: Have a chat with a comedian and some 80's popstars and get filmed for TV

Any particular 80s popstars? I realise you're too young to remember the 80s, but some of us might be impressed by some name dropping

[sami]

Hue and Cry

[MikeOxon]

Loved your evocation of Rannoch Moor - one of the world's great places! Also glad you got the views and not just 'Scotch mist'

Mike

[sami]

Just finished the 96 mile West Highland Way, one of the most amazing things I've ever done. If you have the chance, I HIGHLY recommend it. Now we're in Fort William looking for somewhere to sleep... 

[David M]

Sounds like you two are having the time of your lives.

Not long to go now, I guess.

Good luck with the rest of the walk.

[Susie]

You wont want to go home to normal life at the end of it. How can you top that?

[Gibster]

Hi All, sitting out a pasing storm front in Fort William at the mo so we've ducked into an internet cafe. Hence I'm posting this time (Sami won't let me near her precious iphone in case my over-size fingers break it!)

Shame there has (thus far...) been insufficient interest in the "naked ramble" option, could definitely raise some extra cash - and laughs! C'mon folks, put your money where it counts!!! Jack - sorry we've missed you, so near and yet so far!

As Sami already said, we've just completed the West Highland Way, 96 miles of glorious scenery and a taste of true wilderness atop Rannoch Moor. Finally managed to see Azure Hawker (been after that one for a while now) and seen loads of new plants. Stuff that you simply don't find in London - Alpine Lady's Mantle, Yellow Saxifrage, Great and Oblong-leaved Sundews. Still haven't found Pale Butterwort or Fairy Foxglove - but the Walk ain't over yet! Sam called Nightjar a couple of evenings ago which was the first of the trip. Recent misses have been the endemic Loch Lomond Dock, Feral Goats and Wallabies (!) so we'll have to return at a later date. Preferably outside of midge season. And not during the wettest summer on record...sigh.

Next leg of the journey is a low-level route along the Great Glen from Fort William to Inverness. Just 76 miles We're hoping for Pine Marten at a known site. So far we've seen the scat but not the beastie itself. Oh, and Nessie is on the cards too with luck!!

Butterflies have been noticeable only in their near absence. We've walked through miles and miles of flower-filled meadows, glorious sunny hillsides, heathy bogs and wet runs full of cotton-grass. One area had 22 Ringlets and a single SPBF. Another wide expanse had a handful of SPBFs and a couple of Green-veined Whites. A third site held 5 Common Blues and around ten Small Heath. Other than that we've seen maybe 30 individual butterflies and about as many bees. Even the sundews and butterworts are mostly empty of insect prey. Apart from numerous micro moths and the midges there seems to have been a near total collapse of insect life up here. Frightening. Next year can only be worse, I fear.

Brighter news is that we met Fred Macaulay whilst walking to Bridge of Orchy. We went to his gig that night and were part of the act. The following day he walked up to Kinlochleven with 80s band Hue & Cry (I was a big fan in my younger days, so that in itself was a bit of a thrill for me). Sami and I joined them for a while and were interviewed on a mountain top. The whole thing was televised and is being shown on Scottish BBC during the first week of September. Find it on Sky and tune in. It's called Fred Macaulay's West Highland Wa-hey and is raising money for Scottish Children in Poverty. Should be good.

That's all for now. Hopefully the rain will pass quickly and we can get out there and find that elusive Marten. Or Nessie!!!

Cheers for now,

Gibster.

[Matsukaze]

I take it you haven't come across Arran Brown then? Or is the news of that being embargoed to ensure the safety of the colony?

[dave brown]

Still haven't found Pale Butterwort or Fairy Foxglove

Hello Seth & Sami,
Pleasing to see you are having such a great time in Scotland. This is probably the most enjoyable part of your epic walk with regards scenery and wildlife. Not sure how you are getting home, but should you return by road, just off the A9 at Carrbridge (north of Aviemore) Fairy Foxglove grows on the old stone bridge located in the village centre, easily seen from the road bridge over the river that passes through the centre near an hotel if my memory serves me well. We saw it in 2005 and its been there for many years.
Best wishes for the remainder of your walk.

[sami]

Enjoying our first properly hot day in a while!
We passed our first John O' Groats sign yesterday, which read 109 miles!!
We're on the homestretch now and getting lots of honks from motorists on the A9 who must have seen lots of other walking idiots in the past
Stayed a night with Barbara and Stuart in Culloden and had lots of fun going through their moth trap in the morning. I managed to pose Burnished Brass, Gold Spangle, (lifer for both of us!) Beautiful Golden Y and Lesser Swallow Prominent on the same leaf for a photo!! Blinging and photogenic
The fund is now over £2700 so we've still got a long way to go but we're really chuffed.
hoping to be at John O' Groats for our 3 month wedding anniversary! Will let people know our eta in the next few days so people can meet us at the top with champagne
I'm serious, we'd love to see a welcome group!
Best wishes
Sami

[David M]

Enjoying our first properly hot day in a while!

It's been grim down here!

We passed our first John O' Groats sign yesterday, which read 109 miles!!

Soon be down to double figures, Sami. I bet you'll feel a tinge of sadness as it ticks down towards single figures. All good things must come to an end.

Good luck for the remaining leg.

[Jack Harrison]

David M

Good luck for the remaining leg.

Sorry to hear that Sami's injury has become THAT bad

Jack

[sami]

83 miles to go...
Who wants to see us in to JOG on the 5th?

[Rogerdodge]

I really wish we could - but I am so busy at the moment I can't spare the time.
We will get together soon after you get back down south for a pie and pint!
Really proud of you both.
Fantastic effort.

[Neil Hulme]

An effort worthy of a gold medal. The finish line is in sight - you might be exhausted, but don't do a Paula Radcliffe.
Best Wishes, Neil

[Pete Eeles]

83 miles to go...
Who wants to see us in to JOG on the 5th?

Would love to have seen you at the finish guys. Will be raising a glass to your fine efforts in Greece instead I think it's fair to say that everyone is extremely proud of what you're about to achieve

Really looking forward to seeing you sometime this side of crimbo!

Cheers,

- Pete

[sami]

Really wanted to arrive at JOG tomorrow on our 3 month wedding anniversary but we'vedecided that it would just be foolish to push ourselves that far. We've done some serious mileage recently and we want to arrive full of beans rather than limping and exhausted, so we can savour every moment. So new eta is the 6th

[sami]

Really wanted to arrive at JOG tomorrow on our 3 month wedding anniversary but we'vedecided that it would just be foolish to push ourselves that far. We've done some serious mileage recently and we want to arrive full of beans rather than limping and exhausted, so we can savour every moment. So new eta is the 6th

[ChrisC]

all i can say is well done to both of you. you deserve every penny that you raise. so how long do you reckon for the walk home?

[Jack Harrison]

From Sami

So new eta is the 6th

There is another much less spectacular ETA for the 6th:the Curiosity Rover is due to land on Mars.

The Mars Rover is a one-way adventure. How do you two plan to get back to Epsom? It wouldn't be cheap by public transport: I trust somebody is sponsoring that.

I'll be doubling my donation once I see the photo of you two standing by the sign post (not that I really need the proof). I trust others will follow the example.

Brilliant achievement.

Jack