Every spring, nature performs a makeover on dark, forgotten forests, rolling out delicate blue carpets. Bluebells remind us that undisturbed land can possess a fleeting beauty.
Drifts of the wildflowers create an ancient scene, blanketing the forest floor while ancient trees grow above. And according to Forestry England, the mild winter and spring so far this year could see an early showing.
"English bluebells often grow in ancient woodlands and often show where woodlands used to be," says Ian Ford, a National Trust ranger from Speke Hall, Liverpool. However, do not confuse English natives with the Spanish bluebell.
"Native bluebells have a deeper violet-blue color and a drooping stem, with flowers all on one side," explains Helen Chick, spokesperson for Westonbirt Arboretum. "It also has white pollen and a sweet scent, which you can smell when you get close."
The Spanish bellflower is larger, with a straight stem and light blue conical flowers. 'Native bluebells are actually protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981,' Helen added, 'so you could be fined if you dig them up.'
According to Steve Kirkpatrick, countryside manager at the Lanhydrock estate in Cornwall, Spanish bluebells can cross-pollinate and take over entire forests. "They also don't produce as much pollen for bees and insects."
The British countryside is said to be home to around half of the world's bluebells, but try not to stray from paths while admiring them. "If you trample a bluebell, it could take up to five years for it to bloom again, if that ever happens," Steve warned. "The next person might try to avoid your crushed flowers, so they go further off the path and you end up with clumps of hyacinths instead of a carpet that stays there forever."
Here are some of the best places to gently wander around bluebells this spring.
Lanhydrock, Cornwall
After a mild winter, gardener Steve believes the bluebells at Lanhydrock, a late Victorian house in Bodmin, will appear before the end of the month. Their green leaves are already in force. "They're so dark and fresh, they're different from what's been there all winter," Steve said. "They are predicting the upcoming show and it looks like an absolute banner year." See them in the Big Forest.
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Adult £20 (child £10), nationaltrust.org.ukBluebell spectacular, Kent
Hole Park Gardens, near Rolvenden, celebrates the bluebell season every year by updating an online barometer showing the development of the bluebells. The 16 hectares of family gardens open on April 1 and once the bluebells have unfurled, visitors can admire them on a walking tour of a renovated ice house. At this time of year the forest floor should also be covered with the white stars of wild garlic.
Adult from £11 (child from £2.50), holepark.comWestonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire
Silk Wood contains huge areas of ancient forest and during the bluebell season you have beautiful views from a treetop path. On the ground floor there are also wood chip paths meandering between enormous clumps of hyacinths. Families will enjoy the playground and Gruffalo trail here. The arboretum's bluebells are usually at their best from late April to mid-May.
Adult £12 (child £4), forestryengland.ukSpeke Hall, Liverpool
The woodlands near Speke's Tudor house date back to at least the 11th century e century, appearing in the Domesday Book, with bells from the same period. The flowers are accessible to everyone and can be reached via a hard path, which is cordoned off to prevent them from being crushed and unable to supply food to the bulb. These bluebells flood the floor of Stockton's Wood and The Clough, behind the house. There is also a wildflower meadow to explore.
Adult £12 (child £6), nationaltrust.org.ukRufford Old Hall, Lancashire
Enjoying bluebells in spring is such a ritual for some that David Roberts, the senior gardener at Rufford Old Hall, was asked during lockdown to send a video of the exhibition to a couple who were sad to miss it. "One of the benefits of the job is that you can walk through a sea of English bluebells as they perfume the air," he said. "We don't have extensive forests, but we do have beautiful stands of bluebells," he said. The house in Ormskirk keeps its own bees, who appreciate the pollen.
Adult £11 (child £5.50), nationaltrust.org.ukLeah Paget's Wood, Herefordshire
For less visited woodlands, try Lea Paget's Wood, which produces delicate clumps of bluebells in spring that are ideal for quiet contemplation. Located in the Wye Valley, you'll also see wood anemone, wild garlic and early purple orchids in this nature reserve, as well as groups of fallow deer.
Free, wildlifetrusts.orgHinton Ampner, Hampshire
For intense colors, the Hinton Ampner terrain is a good choice. Visitors can admire densely packed bluebells in beech woodlands which can be found with a Dutton Estate trail map. To reach them takes less than half an hour's walk. This country house and its manicured gardens also offer views over the South Downs.
Adult £9.50 (child £4.75), nationaltrust.org.ukBlickling Estate, Norfolk
Between April and May, a violet glow appears at Blickling thanks to gardeners who manage the forest so that enough sunlight reaches the ground. Their success is measured by the carpet of bluebells in the Great Forest. Thousands of bellflower bulbs were also planted in the formal gardens of this Jacobean mansion in the 1930s - explore the Temple Walk.
Adult £15 (child £7.50), nationaltrust.org.ukKinclaven Bluebell Wood, Perthshire
In this forest in Stanley, ancient beech trees, some of which are over 200 years old, stand alongside oak trees. The bluebells are an annual highlight and in spring a circular path takes visitors through purple areas. Allow about an hour for the 2.5 km loop. Keep an eye out for great spotted woodpeckers, pine martens and red squirrels along the way.
Free, woodtrust.org.ukBluebell Dinners and Vivaldi, London
For something different, wild party company Nomadic organizes lunches and dinners at long tables among bluebells in a hidden forest outside the capital. In March and April there is also a performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons amid a violet haze. Nomadic is set in Chalfont St Peter, which is easily reached from Rickmansworth on the Metropolitan line. Alternatively, Londoners can walk in the ancient bluebell-filled woodland at Highgate and at Chalet Wood in Wanstead Park.
Tickets from £48, experiencenomadic.com
