Find a Bluebell Walk Near You

The bluebell season is starting now with great carpets of them, covering the floors of ancient woodland all over Britain. Here’s how to pinpoint a spectacular stroll.

If you are in the South East here’s a good place to begin: the Arlington Bluebell Walk near Polegate in East Sussex, opens the 6th April for the start of the bluebell season, with proceeds going to a different charity each day. The route is fully accessible to buggies, wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Refreshments are available and there is also a daily mini-farmers’ market. A childrens quiz will help keep the little ones entertained.

National Trust properties are the natural first stop for bluebells throughout the whole of the south east. A quarter of their woodland is ancient or semi-natural – ideal for bluebells to flourish. Their popular Bluebell Watch which is now up and running to let us know where and when the bluebells are at their best. Keen bluebell spotters are busy reporting their sightings via Twitter which are added onto the interactive map on the Bluebell Watch page.

The Woodland Trust are also asking people to record their bluebell sightings on their Nature’s Calendar. You can also search their database of 1,100 bluebell woods by postcode to find one near you to enjoy. Check out their list of unusual places to spot bluebells for some quirky ideas for bluebell themed days out.

Ramblers groups will be leading special bluebell walks over the next couple of months, all take in swathes of beautiful bluebells. Find your nearest bluebell walk using their walks finder.

The Natural History Museum are running an ongoing campaign to to build up a nationwide picture of when bluebells, both native and non-native species, start flowering each year. Anyone can take part in the bluebell survey and there is information online about how to identify whether your bluebells are native bluebells or non-native species, by looking at the colour of the pollen and the shapes of the flower. A great project to get older children involved with!

Got any favourite bluebell walks near you? Leave a comment to share your walks and sightings with us.

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Dominic Sawyer

Dominic has been writing on the web since 2000. He has a BSc (Hons) degree in Biological Sciences from Nottingham University and his research thesis has been published in journals. With a foundation in painstaking research he found his passion for travel and has worked in the sector for 20 years. He has written a book about travel and has extended his expertise to consumer research across the travel and leisure sector.