With the moody skies and mild winter we’ve had this year, we’re in for a bumper season of bluebell walks! Bluebells are one of Britain’s most favourite flowers. The warmth of spring heralds a colourful and quintessentially English landscape that’s almost unique to this country. The slender, glossy leaves of bluebell bulbs emerge during March in moist, fertile soil, under the naked canopy of woodland trees. Come late April and early May; as the lofty trees burst into life, so do masses of the familiar deep lilac bluebell flowers as they emerge with bell-shaped heads and a delicate, sweet floral scent.
Bluebells don’t grow wild in any other part of Europe. In fact, nearly half of the world’s bluebells are found here, in Great Britain. But where do you find them? If you were thinking of a spring break, there are some amazingly beautiful locations for bluebell walks through the ancient trees in and around the New Forest.
Stay on one of our New Forest cottages and watch spring burst into life from your window. Not only do the trees erupt into a profusion of colour, but wildlife’s newborns are on the scene with wobbly-legged ponies, calves and fluffy fledglings. Come to stay in a New Forest cottage for a glorious assault of the senses courtesy of Mother Nature and walks though bluebell-lined trails of this beautiful National Park.
Where to See Bluebells in the New Forest
Pondhead Inclosure near Lyndhurst
This well-known inclosure where the free-roaming ponies, cattle and donkeys are kept out, puts on a dazzling display of bluebells growing en masse. Tread carefully along the tracks of thickly cloaked forest floor – camera in hand.
View this post on Instagram
See holiday cottages near Lyndhurst
Sandleheath near Fordingbridge
Don your walking boots and head out along footpaths where you’ll capture the evocative scent and vivid colour of wild Bluebells mingling with primroses – and if you’re lucky, some purple orchids.
View this post on Instagram
See holiday cottages near Fordingbridge
Bank, near Lyndhurst
There is a cycle path that runs under a canopy of trees across the forest to Brockenhurst. Come late spring, the route is sprinkled with ribbons of bluebells which thrive in the damp, shady conditions.
See holiday cottages near Lyndhurst
Roydon Woods near Brockenhurst
Go to see a sea of native bluebells jostling for your attention. It’s a lovely part of the forest for a walk and full of birdsong.
View this post on Instagram
See holiday cottages near Brockenhurst
Broomy Inclosure near Ringwood
A violet spread of bluebells bobbing in the breeze is an irresistible sight and none more so than in this pretty inclosure.
See holiday cottages near Ringwood
Exbury Gardens, Exbury
This is where you’re absolutely guaranteed to see a riot of bluebells each side of a two-mile drive called ‘Summer Lane’. The garden’s 200-acre estate stages a multitude of botanical displays in spring including stunning azaleas, camellias and soft carpets of primroses.
View this post on Instagram
See holiday cottages near Exbury
Furzey Gardens in Minstead
Another parkland, consisting of 10 acres of woodland with themed gardens awash with striking bluebell displays. Don’t miss the azaleas and walls of rhododendrons. The sheer volume of these massed flowers is one of the great joys of spring.
View this post on Instagram
See holiday cottages near Minstead
Further afield
Kingston Lacy, near Wimborne
The lovely grounds of this picturesque National Trust property are enrobed in an intense blanket of blue during the bluebell season.
View this post on Instagram
Micheldever Wood, near Winchester
Well known for bluebells cascading in an endless ocean of rolling violet waves. Follow winding paths through the dainty blue flowers and shoot some gorgeously pretty pictures.
Grovely Woods, near Salisbury
Walk through this large wood’s tapestry of trees and hedgerows. It’s a gloriously pretty landscape, which come spring is one of THE spots to see intense sapphire and violet shows of bluebells hugging the woodland floor.
View this post on Instagram
Escape the crowds this spring and book a stay in the New Forest – see our full collection of New Forest Cottages