Saturday 28 April 2018

Searching For Bluebells

And finding them!


It's one of the great sights of England - a woodland carpeted with bluebells - but one that requires good timing to experience at its best.


Of course, woodlands are a wonderful place to be even without the little blue flowers, particularly at this time of year when the young leaves are appearing but the sunlight can still shine through to illuminate the woodland floor.


Even at the height of the season and even in woods that are famous for their bluebells they may not be present throughout the wood and you may have to walk a bit to find them. On a day like we had on Thursday when a brisk breeze was blowing the rich scent of the flowers wafted through and gave away their whereabouts.


The area that my brother and I chose to explore was just to the west of Stevenage, centred on the village of St Paul's Walden which is a surprisingly lovely bit of landscape in any season. At present, with blossom in the hedgerows and oak trees coming into leaf, it's the epitome of southern English countryside.


And then there are the drifts of bluebells smouldering sweetly between the distant trees like wisps of purple smoke.


We followed a devious route linking several woods and also passing through meadows, alongside fields and down country lanes. There were a lot of horses grazing in the pastures but they were unusually camera-shy.  


We started in Hitch Wood, then alongside Hearnsfield Wood and Foxholes Wood. From there we followed a path between Chalkley's Wood and Walk Wood before turning to follow the beautiful though short path through Reynold's Wood.


Great Tits, Blue Tits and Robins were singing everywhere and I also heard a Blackcap warbling beautifully from a dense hedgerow. Over the fields Buzzards and Red Kites drifted on the wind.


We both spent a lot of time taking photos of it all. That's my brother, Les, getting artistic. You have been spared the view of my hindquarters as I stooped for a close-up!


There are some pleasant, though difficult to photograph, views in this gently rolling country, especially across the valley of the infant River Mimram.


This brief but beautiful display appears every year but some people never see it, preferring to watch TV or spend their money in the shops. How sad is that?


Soon we were back in the vicinity of St Paul's Walden with its church appearing amongst the treetops. The Queen Mother spent her childhood there and maybe as a young girl wandered these woods and perhaps picked an occasional posy of flowers. 



Take care.

20 comments:

  1. You have sought out one of the best bluebell woods that I know - Hitch Wood - it is a wonder to behold, and I miss it very much now that I live in the west. It was lovely to see your great images, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The carpet of Bluebells is simply magnificent. I can’t think of anything we have here that is similar, although pretty soon the woods will be full of Trilliums and that is quite spectacular.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The second photo, with the brilliant new green, is spectacular, John.

    ReplyDelete
  4. très belle forêt fleurie * ces tapis bleus de jacinthes : superbes * toutes ces images incitent à sortir voir la nature et éteindre la TV & internet !

    ReplyDelete
  5. How wonderful! Out in Texas there are Bluebonnets, with of course a Texas bigness to their bright blues...I remember driving along and seeing them as a child. Never seen Bluebells, so this was a great treat to walk virtually with you. Since it's a nice day, I think I'll go out and see what I can find too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You have made me fall in love with England. I would love to walk in these fields and see them covered in blue like this. So beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The scenes are stunning. The bluebells really look like a painting, they are so beautiful. I would enjoy a stroll through that area, it's really amazing to see. Your photos show its beauty perfectly.
    Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I adore bluebell woods. I've not yet explored locally but we still have daffodils out! I suspect we need a little more warmth to fully waken the bluebells up north here.

    ReplyDelete
  9. So beautiful. Thanks for taking the time to share these pictures with us.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So nice to see all of your photographs ... wonderful scenes.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my, absolutely glorious, - what a wonderful sight to come across. A few days ago I was asked if I had met my husband in London, during the war. It is not the first time I have been "taken for" English, and I think there is a little bit of the love of England that my grandparents brought to Canada, and passed down through the family. I have surely a great fondness for the country, and the beauty of the woods and the bluebells makes me quite nostalgic. Thank you, John.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I always remember my mother saying how she loved the carpets of bluebells in the woods. Now I have seen them and know why. The photos are so beautiful and your words too. It is hard to believe that some folk are not interested in walking in the woods.

    ReplyDelete
  13. How beautiful, I'm glad your search was successful:)

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a wonderful wander! I do love the carpet of blue and would give up many hours if I knew I could capture them!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nothing to touch a bluebell wood is there John.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The English countryside is glorious in spring John. I couldn't help smiling at the differences in our walks.. you'll see what I mean in tomorrow's post, but to be fair, it is autumn here 😀 The bluebells are a delight to see, wish I could smell their perfume ✨

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi John - stunning ... just love the bluebell woods - surprisingly we have a few here ... well bluebells - not sure about the woods part. Though blue flower meadows ... cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ah, the beautiful bluebell. You captured them well, my favorite being the fifth photo.

    ReplyDelete
  19. That's really beautiful! We have camas lily where I live. I've been out this week looking for a purple-carpeted scene like you and your brother found.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Glorious Spring bluebells, there's nothing quite like them. Beautiful photos. You have lots of lovely walks in your area.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'll try to answer any questions via a comment or e-mail within the next day or two (no hard questions, please!).