2023 Late Summer & Autumn trips to Scottish islands / Rest of UK

Heatherlea offer carefully selected holidays around the British mainland, from the east coast of Scotland to Cornwall, and the Scillies. We explore remote, little-known corners where birding is excellent, and all are ideal for birders and general wildlife enthusiasts alike, of any level of experience. Below are some of our tours in 2023 that still have limited availability!

NEW! MULL and ARDNAMURCHAN Sat 22 Jul - Sat 29 Jul £2095 £220

Wildlife Spectacular

Tour Leader – Aidan Branch

We explore the wild Ardnamurchan peninsula and ‘Magical’ Mull thoroughly, in an appreciation of all its wildlife! We dedicate time to mammal watching with butterflies, dragonflies, moths and plants likely to feature too, and of course a range of fabulous birdlife.

OUTER HEBRIDES in Early Autumn Sat 26 Aug - Fri 1 Sept £1845 £245

‘For Birders’

Tour Leaders – Mark Warren & Chris Rodger

A six-day birders tour of Lewis, Harris, Berneray, Benbecula and both North and South Uist! Late August is a great time for migration, with good numbers of common and scarce migrants and excellent chances of finding our own rarities. Previous rarities include Western Sandpiper, Greater Sandplover, Pectoral Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and many more!

KENT AND EAST SUSSEX in Autumn Sat 2 Sept - Sat 9 Sept £1795 £290

Tour Leader – Barry Embling

Exciting birding on this two-centre holiday as autumn migration gets into full swing! A variety of species are likely to be seen during our week including waders, seabirds, migrants and much more. This is a great new opportunity to explore South-East England at a busy time of year for birds.

NORTH RONALDSAY & ORKNEY Sat 9 Sept - Fri 15 Sept £1695 £130 in Autumn ‘for Birders’ Sat 16 Sept - Fri 22 Sept

Tour Leaders – Aidan Branch (week 1)

Mike Coleman (week 2)

Only 29 miles from Fair Isle, North Ronaldsay is a wonderful migration hotspot, overlooked and under-explored! In favourable weather (easterlies!), regular species include Wryneck, Bluethroat, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Icterine, Yellow-browed and Marsh Warbler, Ortolan, Lapland and Little Bunting and Common Rosefinch.

SHETLAND in Autumn ‘for Birders’ Sat 16 Sept - Sat 23 Sept £1895 £230

Tour Leaders – Holly Page & Chris Rodger Sat 23 Sept - Sat 30 Sept

Rarity hunting at the top of Britain, covering all corners of Shetland! We stay in two centres on the mainland giving us access to Unst and other islands. Recently rarities on our holidays include White's Thrush, Siberian Rubythroat, Myrtle Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, Bluethroat, Pechora Pipit, Citrine Wagtail, Red-flanked Bluetail, Isabelline Shrike, Rustic Bunting.

UNEXPLORED ORKNEY Sat 23 Sept - Fri 29 Sept £1895 £140

Tour Leader – Mark Warren

Pioneering birding adventure on remote Orcadian islands: Sanday, Westray and Papa Westray! The possibilities are great, as early October is a rich time for southbound migrants, while our local expertise gives every chance of connecting with rare and scarce visitors. Orkney is not all about birds, there’s stunning scenery and historical interest too.

OUTER HEBRIDES in Autumn ‘for Birders’ Sat 7 Oct - Fri 13 Oct £1845 £225

Tour Leaders – Mike Coleman & Dave Pearce

Everyone knows the Outer Hebrides are becoming famous for rarities, and this is a real birders’ treat as we seek rarities at the best time of year. Possibilities are many and varied from Snowy Owl to Dusky Warbler as we travel the length of the islands from the Butt of Lewis to South Uist.

ISLES OF SCILLY ‘for Birders’ Sat 7 Oct - Sat 14 Oct £2095 £195

Tour Leaders – Toby Green & Barry Embling

Steeped in birding folklore, the Isles of Scilly are a ‘must visit’ place in the UK. Birdwatching can be fantastic with an impressive roll call of ‘megas’ from recent Octobers. We’ll be flexible and activities will depend largely on bird news plus select different islands to explore daily to see as much of the Scillies as possible.

LANCASHIRE and THE WIRRAL Mon 16 Oct - Sun 22 Oct £1695 £195

Tour Leader – Holly Page

This two centre holiday aims to explore the very best birdwatching north-west England has to offer. Based near Lancaster and then on The Wirral we’re ideally placed to visit key reserves and sites for waders, wildfowl, raptors and even a rarity or two.

ISLAY and JURA Sat 21 Oct - Thurs 26 Oct £1645 £295

Tour Leader – Mike Coleman

Brilliant Autumn birding on stunning Hebridean islands. On Islay we explore the large goose and duck flocks and see Britain’s most northerly Choughs. Jura is well worth a visit for the scenery alone, and is rightly renowned for its large population of Red Deer, Hen Harrier and White-tailed Eagle.

SOLWAY FIRTH Sat 4 Nov - Thurs 9 Nov £1395 £100

Tour Leader – Ian Ford

A winter wildfowl spectacular on the Solway Coast of Dumfries and Galloway! We visit key sites to find wintering geese and duck flocks which often contain a rarity or two. Passerines will also feature including many woodland and farmland species plus we search for locally scarce Golden Eagle in the hills.

Heatherlea Guides – a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm!

Most have been working for Heatherlea for many years, and you can read detailed Guide profiles on our website, where you can also see their upcoming tours. We are not ‘intensive’ or ‘twitchers’, but are dedicated to showing you wildlife, and above all, we have fun. Here are some thoughts from the oldest and youngest members of the Team!

Aidan’s story

One of our newest recruits, Aidan Branch joined from North Ronaldsay, where he was Assistant Warden at the Observatory. During his time on the island, he met many Heatherlea Guides and clients;

“Heatherlea Guides were always very positive about the company, and clearly enjoyed working there. I was also interested to hear that the Company was now operating as an Employee-owned Trust. Intrigued by this relatively new concept and encouraged by what their guides had to say, I did some further research. I liked the involvement it gave employees and the exciting opportunities for guides. I was looking for the security of regular employment rather than just freelance work and decided to apply as a Heatherlea Guide – I’m glad I did!”

Now employed all year round, Aidan is looking forward to meeting more and more clients, and showing them birdlife throughout Scotland and hopefully around the world!

Aidan’s Highlights….

“One of my highlights was my trip to North Uist and Benbecula whilst guiding the Highlands and Corncrake tour in May of this year. If a scenic boat crossing full of seabirds and the chance of a cetacean or two wasn’t enough, as soon as you arrive at Lochmaddy, you are greeted by White-tailed Eagles in the harbour, the sound of Corncrake in the fields and the occasional spinning Phalarope on a small loch. The joy with this destination is that anything can turn up such as a Black-crowned Night Heron and the famous Grey-headed Lapwing.

On a more local level, seeing the Highlands change throughout the seasons is a wonderful thing! When I first arrived in January, it was a cold -14C and the Cairngorms were covered in snow; this provided a beautiful landscape and gave us close encounters with the charismatic Crested Tit. Today as I sit and write this, it’s stunning late spring weather with temperatures in the 20’s, the greens of the trees are vivid and we have some really special breeding birds only a few minutes away, including Black Throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe and Ospreys!

My favourite local excursion is the trip out to the West Coast where mountains meet the sea with its dramatic landscapes and calm bays and something spectacular round every corner. This is a dream place to work!’

Aidan will be leading the following trips, amongst others!

NEW! Highland Birding in Late Summer, Sat 5 Aug – Sat 12 Aug

North Ronaldsay & Orkney in Autumn for birders, Sat 9 Sept – Fri 15 Sept

Highland Autumn Birding, Sat 14 Oct – Sat 21 Oct and Sat 21 Oct – Sat 28 Oct

Ian’s Story

Ian Ford has been guiding with Heatherlea since 1999 and is the longest standing member of the guiding team. Ever popular with guests and fellow guides alike, he has guided from Costa Rica to the Arctic;

“It has been wonderful working at my hobby and playing a part in the company’s move from only Highland trips to taking over the world! It has been a real joy to share the wildlife of these beautiful places with so many Heatherlea guests over the years.”

In recent years Ian has worked to help develop wildflower meadows and woodland by the Tay estuary, and he holds a license to grow Greater Yellow Rattle, a flower which grows wild in only one location in Scotland. His oakwood and orchard project will keep him busy for many years to come!

Ian’s Highlights….

“One of my favourite Heatherlea tours to lead in the last year has to be our Kenya Ultimate Birding tour. Our bird total was a massive 438! Some of the many and varied highlights of the group included the displaying Widowbirds, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Crowned Eagle, Pygmy Falcon, and stunning beauties like the Three-banded Courser, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater and Goldenbreasted Starling. The incredible red underwings of the Black-billed Turaco overhead were unforgettable. We saw a wide range of mammals too and the bull Elephant in the dark, the Elephant herd at the mud pool, the three Giraffe races, Hippos, Hyenas and ‘active’ Lions were the most popular. The boat trips were universally popular for the richness of water and land birds and favourite places included The Ark, Samburu and birding in the Kakamega Forest. The passion of the local guides working hard within their communities stood out, and many clients commented on the positive image we had of Kenya from all the villages, full of locally grown food and all the friendly Kenyan people we met as well as the rich variety of landscapes we saw in this beautiful country. What a fantastic tour!”

Ian will be leading the following trips, amongst others!

Bulgaria in Autumn, Sat 2 Sept – Sat 9 Sept

NEW! Lancashire & the Wirral, Mon 16 Oct – Sun 22 Oct

Kenya – Ultimate Birding Tour, Sun 3 Dec – Sun 17 Dec