I discovered the joys of bike-packing in 2025 at the age of 68 and I want to combine my love of wildlife, cycling, green travel and physical challenges with raising money for Butterfly Conservation Scotland.

Seeing and recording butterflies and moths gives me a lot of pleasure but, like most other wildlife, their numbers are declining and I want to help Butterfly Conservation do what it can to limit that decline.

Most Highland butterfly species can be found within Strathspey, less than 20 miles from my home, but there are some notable exceptions that will require camping trips. The coastal Grayling will require a 55-mile round trip, with Mountain Ringlet and Chequered Skipper requiring round trips of about 110 miles and 135 miles respectively. Marsh Fritillary will be the greatest challenge, necessitating cycling towards Oban on the west coast, a round trip of about 250 miles.