It’s one of our most famous and recognisable woodland flowers, creates a carpet of blue across woodlands, and offers an unmistakable sign that warmer weather is on the way.
In April and May bluebells bring a much-needed burst of colour to springtime, and with almost half the world’s bluebells found in the UK, there’s no shortage of places to see them.
Relatively rare elsewhere, they are a protected species, and it is against the law to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy bluebells, but for some careful viewing, here are a few suggestions for top spots to really feel the blues this spring.
Hampshire haven
For a spectacular display of bluebells in Hampshire, Micheldever Wood is hard to beat. Noted for its ancient woodland status, this mixed wood near Winchester is home to a diverse range of birds and insects, as well as wildflowers. The twisty paths through pine and conifers leads walkers to the swathes of bluebells covering the woodland.
A valley of blue
Tucked away in a Yorkshire Wolds valley, Millington Wood, near Pocklington, is one of the richest botanical woodlands in East Yorkshire, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Covering 52 acres, it is home to many species that are locally and nationally rare, but it is probably best known for its carpet of bluebells in the spring. Wild garlic joins with the bluebells to fill the wood with colour and scent.
On the trail of the Knights Templar
Lincolnshire’s Tunman Wood has existed as woodland since at least 1774 and is reputed to have been used as a cross country route by the Knights Templar. Although since the 1940s the area has been planted with conifers for timber, much of this has been replanted with oak and other board-leafed trees, and it retains the characteristics of ancient woodland. Today plant life thrives here, including bluebells, along with primroses.
A true blue Elizabethan gem
Elizabethan manor house Doddington Hall, just outside Lincoln, which gives visitors an insight into 400 years of unbroken family ownership, is also surrounded by five acres of gardens. In late spring a walk through woodland and parkland on The Nature Trail, one of a series of walks on the estate, offers the sight of English bluebells in abundance in Strunch Hill, an ancient woodland at least 500 years old. Look out also for the seasonal wildflowers in Donkey Close. Admission charges apply.
No parrots, but plenty of bluebells…
A hidden gem of a reserve, with possibly the finest display of bluebells in the county, Parrot’s Drumble is one of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s finest ancient woodland nature reserves, where as well as a sea of bluebells in spring visitors will also see dog’s mercury, wood anemone, yellow archangel and wood sorrel. But don’t expect to see parrots. The reserve gets its name from its previous owners, the Parrot family, and a local term for a stream running through a wooded valley, drumble.
Birds sing the blues
An urban oasis on the edge of Stoke-on-Trent, visit Hem Heath Woods in spring and not only can you marvel at the bluebells and other spring flowers, but also hear the sounds of a huge variety of woodland birds. Although often referred to as Hem Heath, this reserve – one of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s most easily accessible – encompasses four distinct woods, The Oaks, Newstead Wood, Newpark Plantation and Hem Heath.
