Bluebell season is my favourite season! There is no getting away from just how magical the forest floors across England look for a few weeks each spring, littered with bluebells. A purple haze of delight. I’ve become a little obsessed by it since we moved to a bluebell hotspot. And on our doorstep is one of the best locations for bluebell hunting in Southern England.
It isn’t just me that’s obsessive. In commuting times, at the station each morning in April, people compare notes on the status of the bluebells in their gardens. The dog walkers and runners give helpful updates as to when the full forest bloom might be ready for viewing. Even the local village Facebook groups have people asking for status updates…
We have some dotted around our garden, the flowering is very localised to certain conditions which impact the timing, but they give us a good guide of when to start hunting!
Go in the sunshine for the perfume scents. It’s like walking into a Penhaligon’s store – the most intoxicatingly fresh floral smell! Return on an overcast day and the depth of bloom and of colour was superb. Go before the bloom and the blanket of green leaves is enough to tell whether the season is going to be spectacular!
One big must is not to trample on the bluebells. Bluebells are very delicate, especially before they flower. If you trample them before they flower they won’t be back next year. Please no stomping into the middle of a clump for the money shot. Stick to the footpaths, even toddlers.
The best recommendation I have is to get up early if you want to see them at their best. Peacefully and without the masses! Quiet lanes and Forestry Commission car parks resembles the M25 on a bad Friday Evening if you time a visit wrong. Cars. Parked. Everywhere. And people everywhere else!
Anyhow, enough words. Here’s some of my favourite pictures!
Our favourite locations are:
- Micheldever Woods – this is a ridiculously popular spot but its expansive and impressive. There is a small car park but given proximity to Winchester it does get busy. Best to go here either on foot or bike, or early in the morning
- Itchen Woods is over the road – when the main woods are busy these woods will be gloriously peaceful and empty and the bluebells are just as good.
- Dodsley Wood to the north of Micheldever Woods is a beautiful little copse. Easily accessed from East Stratton. There’s lots of little copses around the villages near to Micheldever Woods which are easy for locals to access, but few have nearby parking.
- Farley Mount woods, between the mount and the church, stretch for what looks like miles and have plenty clear paths through them.
- Crab Wood in Sparsholt near to the little car park by the cattery is a nice treat and an easy walk with a pushchair.
- Heath’s Copse which is near to Beechcroft Farm shop (and the other side of the Crab Wood) is a lovely little stroll, especially if you can latch on coffee and cake and some farm animal spotting too!
- Royal Victoria Country Park, in the woods behind the graveyard is another lovely spot!
Enjoy! We do!
such a lovely sight to behold!:)
Tanja/The Red Phone Box travels recently posted…Monthly blog overview: April 2018
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I love walking into a forest like this and suddenly a purple haze appears and then boom they are everywhere! Stunning!!
The bluebells have been beautiful this year. We popped out today for a walk in our local woods for our bluebell fix! It’s just a few minutes walk away and we had the bluebells all to ourselves!
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The benefit of a long cold and wet winter perhaps… Every cloud! Glad you enjoyed them too, we made the most of no one being around on our visits – it was like being a forest pixie!!
A tiny corner of my yard comes alive with bluebells every spring. They’re the first to appear under the leaves and I adore the way it changes that section into a gorgeous shade of blue. It must be pure magic to walk in a forest blanketed by the same.
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I bet that corner of your garden smells divine too! It’s incredible how quickly they appear when the weather is right for them!
Such beautiful photos! You’ve really caught some lovely light. I’ve not had a chance to go out and see any myself this year so thank you for my bluebell fix! I needed that.
Kathryn Burrington recently posted…Dazzling winter scenes of Lake Superior on the Trans-Canada Highway
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Thank you! I was worried we would miss them too, but I have put a note in diary for next year already as they are such a treat! Just wish people would stop trampling them or sitting children on them for photos
Such a beautiful time of year! There are a lot of bluebells in the Forest of Dean near us but I was a bit too early this year – like the idea of a note in the diary for next year, might have to try that too.
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It sounds a bit random to diarise the bluebells but they are a bit blink and you miss them! I think lily of the valley should be appearing soon…
It looks so magical indeed! I hope I get to experience bluebells flowering in person one day – forests across England look wonderful! Totally worth waking up early! Hope you don´t mind me sharing it on Twitter! 😉
Anna recently posted…Topkapi Palace : Istanbul´s most visited site
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Glad you enjoyed the photos and thank you for sharing! They really are a delight to find in a forest!
Oh so gorgeous! I love all the different English spring blooms – such a beautiful celebration of the change in season!
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Thank lovely, just love this time of year for exactly that reason – full of the joys!!
They do look awesome and your photos are awesome too. I figured your not using a smart phone for these images mind sharing what camera your using?
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Thank you! Yes my iPhone is 3 years old and due for upgrade so it’s photos are useless… We have a canon eos 600d with an excellent sigma wide angle and a canon long lens. I suspect I was also using my point and press which is the best camera I have ever had as it does amazing stuff on auto… canon powershot g7x mk2