near Street, Somerset

TRAIL

Walking

GRADE

Easy

DISTANCE

1.5 miles (2.5km)

TIME

30 minutes

OS MAP

Explorer 141;Landranger 182

Contact01643 862452

glastonburytor@nationaltrust.org.uk

Facilities

http://nationaltrust.org.uk/walks

In partnership with

Collard Hill, in pursuit of the LargeBlueIn 2002 Collard Hill was openedby the National Trust on behalf ofthe Large Blue Partnership as agreat place for the public to comeand see this rare and fascinatingbutterfly. Having disappearedfrom the UK in the late 1970s, thelarge blue is flourishing here andeven at busy weekends, you’ll findplenty of quiet spots in which youcan get a good glimpse of them.

TerrainSteep to moderate grassy and chalky slopes, which are hard and bumpy when dry, and slippery whenwet. Cross the busy B3151 crossroads with particular care.

Things to see

Large blue

The butterflies usually fly within athree-week period between earlyJune and July, though the timingof this depends on the weather.Individuals live for just four or fivedays. Numbers tend to be bestduring the third week of June:earlier in hot summers, a bit laterif it is cooler.

Stunning views

Enjoy the views from CollardHill towards the Polden Hills,the Somerset Levels, andGlastonbury Tor. Collard Hill isa great picnicking spot. On a hotsummer day though it can beexposed and stifling, so bringplenty of water, youll need it.Outside the butterfly season, theslopes are grazed by ponies andcattle to keep vegetation short.This gives the right conditions forthe type of red ant, whose grubsthe large blue caterpillars eat.

Other butterflies

Other resident butterflies includemarbled white, meadow brown,small heath, brown Argus and, inAugust, a few brown hairstreak(pictured here). Only two otherblues occur on Collard Hill: thecommon blue and holly blueboth are smaller than the largeblue, and they fly earlier in theseason. Black spots on the largeblues forewings distinguish itfrom all other blue butterflies. Thecommon blue is brighter and theholly blue has plain azure-bluewing upper sides without blackborders. 90 per cent of the bluebutterflies you see here are largeblues.

near Street, Somerset

Start/endStart: National Trust car park,grid ref: ST488340End: National Trust car park,grid ref: ST488340

How to get thereBy bus: Bus 377 from Yeoviland Street to Collard Hill (alightMarshalls Elm crossroads)

By car: 1 mile (1.6km) southof Street and to the east of theB3151

http://nationaltrust.org.uk/walks

1. From the car park near the youth hostel, head east, following the blue-topped posts, which we putup to direct visitors to Collard Hill during the large blue season.

2. Follow the path through woodland glades and out into rough grassland. Look out here for marbledwhite and ringlet butterflies, plus several types of orchid.

3. Cross over a (blind) summit crossroads with great care. Go to the opposite, south-east sector ofthe crossroads, heading towards the Scots pine trees, and a National Trust stile and interpretationboard.

4. Head right, towards and through the scattered pine trees. The blue-topped post route guides youthrough some key large blue areas, but feel free to explore.

5. Start climbing the lower slopes of Collard Hill then continue walking straight ahead, traversinghalfway up the hillside. Large blues fly all along here. They tend to use the lower slopes in windyweather, but never fly north of the new fence that runs along the crest of the slope. In the distance isButleigh Monument on Windmill Hill.

6. A favoured area for the large blue is the East Bank, a grassy open area east of the track that runsdiagonally down the slope. Explore and leave via a path cutting through the scrub at the bottom of theslope.

7. Turn right and follow the bottom of the slope back to point five and return to the start of the walk.