Straddling the Lancashire and Cumbria border, Arnside and Silverdale sit in an Area of Outstanding National Beauty famous for its scenery and wildlife. The region has a rich flora, much of which can be seen on the limestone pavements and the grasslands that overlook Morecambe Bay itself.
On the grasslands, many of the finest species appear in the spring months, and quite often in great abundance. Particular highlights will include vast numbers of Early Purple Orchids Orchis mascula and Green-winged Orchids Anacamptis morio in their prime. We would also expect to see the cheerful large flowers of Spring Cinquefoil Potentilla neumanniana, and the delicate, elegant Spring Sandwort Minuartia verna.
After a fine pub lunch nearby we will head north over the border into Cumbria, experiencing further views of the bay and seeking further species. We would expect to see many more spectacular displays of orchids and will be hoping to encounter the Fly Orchid Ophrys insectifera whose spectacular flowers attract male wasps by deceptively mimicking females, and early examples of the Common Twayblade Neottia ovata.
Guests can choose one or both of the two dates available - 3rd or 4th May. Both days will follow the same format though, of course, one never knows what other surprise wildlife one will encounter on any given day!
