by Melissa Beckford
Happy Tuesday! It's been a while. Things have been manic with us. All good, with work etc, but trying to find the time to squeeze this in a post has been hard. We're back from a weekend away and I'm having a lazy morning in bed with a coffee before seeing Ed Sheeran tonight (cannot wait!). I thought I'd bring you a little bit of colour from one of my favourite times of year - and you can still catch it if you're quick :)
First stop was fuel. We headed to Fred & Ginger, Berkhamsted. I'd seen it all over instagram and it looked so tasty I couldn't help myself. And it didn't disappoint. Look at those treats!
Berkhamsted is a very pretty little town too. If we didn't have places to be before the crowds, we would have stopped to browse. Definitely begin your journey here. Everyone needs cake to start their day.
From here, we headed over to Dockey Wood to show the in laws the bluebell display. They had seen a few carpets of them in the week and with little expectation, announced before we entered that their previous findings might be hard to beat. Little did they know. Dockey Wood always takes my breath away.
There is a small carpark by Dockey wood. Get here early to avoid the crowds. If you're not a National Trust member, you have to pay to enter the woodland (this was recently introduced as they are trying desperately to protect the bluebells). They have recently installed twig borders to stop people, and in particular photographers, from trampling the bluebells and ruining it for others. Be sure to stick to the trails. The views are still insane.
And sure enough, as soon as we entered the woodland, the purple carpets dazzled us and the 'ooohing' began.
We stopped for a cheeky pose with Mr B and the grown ups.
The bluebells stretched into the distance.
Clusters of thick purpley blue dressing the ground as far as the eye could see.
I stopped for a moment, on all fours (as you do) to give my macro lens a test.
Snr. B was caught appreciating the views of the neighbouring lambing field and continued to tell me funny anecdotes of his experiences with farming as a young lad. A pretty chilled Sunday <3
We strolled through the trees, chin wagging and gawping. The sun paid the occasional visit and the weather was exactly what we'd hoped for. Some years we've been clouded in thick grey and others beaming sunlight to ruin the photographs - this Sunday was spot on.
Going early has so many other advantages, not just for parking. The woodlands are very quiet and photographing the bluebells without 'muggles' creeping into them is a lot easier.
Snr. B spotted this little bunch of white flowers amongst the thousands - "Life is too short to blend in."
A quick rest spot for another cheeky snap...
And an ants eye view of the bluebells above...
Then we wandered back to the car and continued along the road to the main estate at Ashridge . Once parked, we headed up the tower to check out the views.
Snr.B explaining what is in each direction as we looked out.
There was a haze in the sky so we couldn't quite make out London on this visit but we've been before and have seen it with our own eyes!
Back on solid ground, we followed the trail into the woods for a stroll as the sun started to burn off the cloud.
A spot of geocaching whilst we wandered.
Mr B sought out even more bluebells hiding amongst the trees. Isn't it such a pretty season?!
As we went, we were greeted by lots of different sights - including a few floofy heads poking out of a fence having a nose. Isn't he cute?!
Snr. B stopped for a drink in prettiest of sunlight spots. Couldn't resist a snap.
As we wandered back through to the carpark. The original Mrs B and I wanted to continue our walk - we had steps to gather you see (this is the fitbit life). Much to the disgust and protest of the gents. So as wives do, we continued on anyway haha. And it was worth it. We wandered further through some beautiful woodland, sun shining, blue skies ablaze.
A few more caches along the way were found, Mr B beating me to one we raced to find. Damn him! We laughed like drains about a 'hip height hole' - you had to be there - and grabbed a sneaky selfie before we headed back to the chariot.
We booked Sunday lunch in The Bridgewater Arms in Little Gaddesden. Only a short drive away from Ashridge. A charming little country pub with a British pub menu. We've eaten here on numerous occasions and it's a lovely cosy nook in all seasons. As we visited late in the day, it was very busy and service was slow - though we were warned by the waitress there would be a delay.
Diets out of the window, we filled our faces with gin, pies and carbs before heading home after a wonderful Sunday in the woods.
You have just enough time to catch the bluebells now and I can't recommend it enough. You really will be mesmerised. England is rather beautiful if you take the time to look around.
Coming up over the next few days, our bank holiday getaway in Wales - my first visit!
- MTWP xxx
