Simon Saville, BC Trustee and Chair of the Surrey & SW London Branch, is three weeks into his gruelling 1,200 cycle from Land’s End to John o’Groats to help fight the decline of butterflies and moths.
In his latest blog below he talks about his journey so far and how he feels approaching its end.
Day 22 - How I feel after 3 weeks
Time to think...
I'm about three-quarters of the way through my Bike For Butterflies. Now in the depths of Scotland, counting down the days and miles to John o'Groats. My legs are tired and my knees ache, but I'm pressing on.
When you're in the saddle riding solo for 4 or 5 hours a day, there's lots of time to think.
I'm reflecting that it's lots of little things that make all the difference. Like a lady waving me down to donate a fiver after seeing the flag on my bike, or ride buddies joining me for part of the journey, and people I've never met giving me a room for the night. Unexpected words of support and acts of kindness have buoyed me up when I've felt tired and wet.
I send my thanks to you all, and to the hundreds of people who have helped raise so much money.
Although I've been riding solo, the insistent call of the Chiffchaff has been a near constant companion (https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/chiffchaff/). Sometimes there's been a Blackbird, Yellowhammer or Skylark instead. And of course the butterflies fluttering along the road verges - Meadow Browns, Speckled Woods and, perhaps surprisingly, majestic Red Admirals.
All of these, and more, are reminders of the benefits of spending time in nature. It really is a "Natural Heath Service", and just like the dream of the NHS, it's available to everyone and is free at the point of delivery.
But I'm also seeing that nature needs our help - as intensive agriculture, development, pollution and climate change put ever-increasing stresses on our wildlife.
That's why I'm doing this ride… to raise awareness of the issues and to encourage people to give money to Butterfly Conservation, who are doing great work to address the challenges.
Thank you,
Simon Saville
Tuesday 13th July
Notes
The route and other details are on the website www.bikeforbutterflies.org
You can follow Simon’s progress on Twitter @sbsaville (also on the website)
The link for donation is www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bikeforbutterflies
About Simon
Simon Saville is a trustee of Butterfly Conservation and is Chair of the Surrey & SW London Branch. He lives in London, is a proud promoter of the Big City Butterflies project, and is a London National Park City Ranger.