Devon in the late summer is an idyllic place to be. From our base in the village of Chudleigh, where we will stay in a beautiful 17th century cottage set in its own landscaped grounds, we will travel out to visit some of the key habitats of the country.

We will visit the heathlands and meadows of East Devon, where cocky Dartford Warblers sing their scratchy song from gorse tops, White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillaries flit along the woodland edges, and Keeled Skimmer and Small Red Damsefly buzz over the pools.

An evening excursion will take us to the River Otter, the home for England’s only wild European Beavers. We will meet up with conservationists studying this newly established population and (hopefully) enjoy sightings of the family of beavers going about their business.

At the mouth of the River Exe, we will look for rare plants including Marsh Helleborine and Yellow Bartsia, while listening out for singing Cirl Bunting, a real South Devon speciality. After dinner, another evening visit will have us watching the emergence of Greater Horseshoe Bats from their roost sites, with their amazing alien calls revealed by the bat detectors.

Next morning we visit a woodland as experts monitor the population of Hazel Dormouse that make use of special nest boxes, before visiting Dartmoor, with its famous ponies and, of course, a Devon cream tea…