From the middle of April woodlands around the Cotswolds will burst into life with a fabulous blue haze of bluebells. The bluebell season is starting already with a faint mist of blue appearing under trees in many of our woodlands. I took this photo last weekend.
There are many locations within reach of Daisy Chain, but two of the best are Badbury Clump near Highworth and West Wood near Marlborough.
There was once an Iron Age Hill Fort at the top of Badbury Woods which was probably built and occupied from around 600BC. It would mainly have been used for storage and would have housed round huts and grain storage pounds. Much of the evidence of a fort has been lost through years of ploughing. In Spring and early Summer, Badbury Clump is very popular as its beech woods team up with bluebells for a spectacular display. A 6.5 mile circular walk starting at Badbury Hill, including the Great Barn at Great Coxwell can be found on the Faringdon website. Have a taste of the Bluebells at Badbury hill in this video.
West Woods in near Marlborough is a large plantation of beech trees on a site of an ancient woodland. West Woods has fantastic displays of bluebells in late spring and a good network of trails allow easy access. It is very popular with walkers and photographers alike.
The bluebell season is a short but spectacular one and there are so many beautiful woodlands to explore. Other woodlands to see bluebells in the Cotswolds include:
Aston-under-Hill Woods – which has been described as stunning with bluebells galore.
Lineover Wood, Dowdeswell
Lynches Wood (near Chipping Campden)
Littleworth Wood, Snowshill
Foxholes Nature Reserve, Bruern.
Enjoy exploring!