Bin Combe butterfly walk
A challenging trail through tall, dense bracken on steep slopes near Dunkery Beacon in the north of Exmoor National Park. This is by far the best place to go in pursuit of the rare heath fritillary butterfly, especially on warm, sunny days between late May and early July.
Ticks
The area is heavily infested by ticks, so take precautions. Wear long trousers tucked into socks and carefully check yourself immediately after your visit.
Total steps: 6
Total steps: 6
Start point
Dunkery Beacon car park, grid ref: SS905410
Step 1
From the car park, head left along Dunkery Hill lane. Go past the vehicle barrier, near a twisted moorland hawthorn bush, and cross rough heather on your left to reach the little valley of Bin Combe. In partnership with the Butterfly Conservation Society, we've done a lot of work to conserve the heath fritillary on Exmoor through robust bracken management.
Step 2
Follow the east side of the stream at the top of the combe and walk downhill. Stay on this east side throughout your walk. You'll hopefully begin to see heath fritillaries about 272 yards (250m) into the combe. Keep a look out for adders here.
Step 3
There is a vague path at first but once you pass a rock outcrop, near the start of the woodland, the path vanishes. Don't worry, this is normal for Bin Combe, just stick to the lower slopes and continue downwards.
Step 4
Heath fritillaries tend to be best sighted in the lower combe, but vary in location from year to year. They also live in gorse glades.
Step 5
Turn left on to a clear but rough track towards the bottom of the combe, near a stream crossing. Follow this path north-east. You may see dark green fritillary and small pearl-bordered fritillary here. Also, check the tops of gorse bushes for little Dartford warblers.
Step 6
At a crossing of paths, take the rough stone track back uphill to the twisted hawthorn and the road. Keep an eye out for Exmoor ponies and red deer grazing the open moorland.
End point
Dunkery Beacon car park, grid ref: SS905410
Trail map
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