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We’re delighted to invite you for another exclusive & exciting short break in Norfolk with Patrick Barkham!

Do you want to be part of a world-first? Until now, it has been nigh impossible to see Britain’s two largest and most charismatic native butterflies at the same.

The Swallowtail – a unique British subspecies – only flies on the Norfolk Broads and is on the wing in early June. Until recently, the Purple Emperor was extinct in Norfolk. When it returned to the county in 2019, it tended to emerge in July – later than the southerly populations.

Now, thanks to climatic changes and thriving local populations, it may be possible to see both together. In 2026, both species were on the wing at the same time, at the end of June.

If anyone can find them both in a single weekend, Norfolk resident and butterfly obsessive Patrick Barkham can!

Join him, in 2027, for a fun weekend of butterflying in some of the most beautiful places in East Anglia.

With the beautiful historic city of Norwich as our base, we will spend one day in the Broads hunting for the Swallowtail. We will then spend one day in Norfolk’s ancient woodlands and best Purple Emperor hotspots looking for the elusive Emperor. We will also visit at least one heathland site to search for the Silver-Studded Blue.

Late June is the “new July” peak for butterfly species in Britain, and if the weather is kind, we should enjoy encounters with White Admiral, Silver-Washed Fritillary and other lovely species including the increasingly rare Small Tortoiseshell. We will also enjoy the best dragonflies and birds that Norfolk’s unique wetlands and woodlands have to offer.

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