5 Spots for Bluebells in South London

Another sign of spring in London usually happens in mid-April, but the year because of our colder than usual spring, English bluebells didn’t start appearing until early May.

Bluebells are native to western Europe, with the United Kingdom being having the densest population.

·       Did you know that nearly half of the world’s population of bluebells is found in the U.K.?

 

·       But please do not pick or step on the bluebells as they are a protected species.

 

·       Also, according to the National Trust, it can take 5-7 years for bluebells to bloom.

Here are a five spots south of the Thames River where you can find pretty bluebells in London.

 

Kew Gardens

A seasonal favorite of mine is Kew Gardens. Thanks to our annual membership, we visit here often. In March and most of April, we visited the gardens nearly every weekend. Finally, on April 27^th, I started seeing bluebells on the western side of the gardens and in the woodlands surrounding Queen Charlotte’s Cottage.

Battersea Park

Close to home for us is Battersea Park. Because of Covid restrictions, we’ve spent a lot of time walking, jogging or cycling through the park this past year. You’ll find most of the bluebells near the southwest entrance into the park.

There's another special spot for bluebells at St. Mary's Cemetery in Battersea. I was cycling past here and could see the vibrant bluebells from the road.

Wandle River

I think I’ve cycled more this past year than I ever had in my life. When you spend most of the year either unemployed or furloughed, you find yourself with a lot of free time. The Wandle River is actually a tributary of the Thames in southwest London and actually has a pretty nice cycle/walking path that runs for 12.5 miles, starting near Wandsworth and leading south to East Croydon.

Back in its industrial heyday, the Wandle River was the “hardest working river in London,” with more than 900 mills along its banks. You can still find two water wheels near Merton Abbey Mills and in Morden Hall Park. You’ll find quite a few bluebells in boths of these locations.

Near the end of the Wandle Valley Park trail, you may find some more bluebells near Carshalton Ponds. 

Lesnes Abbey

Aftter living in London for nearly five years, I finally made it over to Lesnes Abbey, a 12th-century monastery founded east of Greenwich. The ruins of this medieval Augustinian abbey stand near the south bank of the Thames and was one of the first places suppressed by Carnidal Wolsey on behalf of King Henry VIII in 1525.

Behind the abbey site is a large area of woodland known as Lesnes Abbey Wood, created from the medieval monastic parkland. This is by far the most impressive area of wooded bluebells that I have ever seen in London. Mark your calendars to see the bluebells here next spring!

From central London, take the train from London Bridge rail station to Abbey Wood and walk to the parkland.

Wimbledon Park

I wasn’t able to get to Wimbledon Park this year, but in the past, I’ve spotted bluebells while walking through the wooded areas. You can’t miss them, but please don’t step on the bluebells.

 

Where is your favorite area to find English bluebells in London or elsewhere in the UK?

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Day Trip from London: Escaping to Wakehurst Gardens

 Day Trip from London

This year, cycling has become one of my ways to escape from the real world. Just me and my bike on the road or a muddy trail.

The day after the U.S. 2020 election on the 4^th of November, I needed an escape. At that point, I was devasted. Honestly, I was pissed off at America and couldn’t believe the election results. I had to get out of our flat, out of London and away from the news.

My escape plan was to take my bike on the train partway and then ride out in the English countryside. I was able to book a timeslot to Wakehurst – a beautiful botanical garden consisting of 500 acres set in the heart of West Sussex. The gardens were donated to the National Trust in 1963 and then leased to the Royal Botanic Gardens, part of Kew Gardens, starting in 1965. With our Kew membership, I was able to enter the gardens for free.

The weather that day was perfect with a slight autumnal chill in the air, but bright blue skies. Getting out of the city and escaping to nature was the exact antidote I needed at the time. 

I avoided getting too close to the 16th-century mansion on site because there were too many people gathered around there. Instead, I wandered through the garden paths and into the woodlands.

The gardens were filled with brilliant shades of red and gold. Maple trees were at their peak. Even some camellias and rhododendrons were already blooming since we had experienced a mild autumn.

Westwood Valley at Wakehurst 

The Westwood Valley is supposed to represent the landscape of the eastern Himalaya below the tree-line, with semi-evergreen forests of rhododendrons, limes, magnolias, maples, alders, oaks, birches and pine trees. The valley has a large pond as well as a wetlands area.

After walking around nature for two hours by myself, I was able to feel more peaceful. However, I was able to take my anger out again later when I had to ride up some steep inclines by an area aptly called Turner Hill.

 

So, how are you coping with this crazy year?

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Day Trip from London: Bedgebury Pinetum

Day Trip from London

A few weekends ago we had a rental car and went looking for autumnal colors in the Kent countryside.

Our destination was literally picked after perusing a map and hubby selected a large green area called the High Weald, an Area of Natural Beauty. This expansive, wooded area covers land within the counties of Kent, Surrey and Sussex in southeast England. We narrowed our choice down further and decided to explore the trails within the Bedgebury National Pinetum.

If any place was going to have autumnal colors, it had better be an English forest.

Upon arrival, the car park was chock-a-block, but once we got away from the main visitor’s center, we were able to practice better social-distancing away from people.

The Bedgebury National Pinetum contains more than 12,000 trees and has several walking and mountain-biking trails and even a bike rental shop. The pinetum is the name used to describe an arboretum (tree collection) that consists mainly of conifers. Bedgebury is a partnership between the Forestry Commission and the Royal Botanic Kew Gardens, which we’ve visited many times, and is one of a handful of international botanical gardens that focuses specifically on pine trees.

The forest provides a beautiful setting for peaceful walks and a chance to escape the city. But don’t forget to wear your hiking boots because the trails get awfully muddy. We saw several dogs wearing mud up to their bellies that were happily running ahead of their owners on the trails.

The pinetum’s history actually dates back about 400 years when the previous owners, the Beresford family, planted English Oaks in the local forests. The Beresford family also was responsible for a large part of the landscaping, including Marshal’s Lake, and introduced exotic trees such as the Lawson Cypress. Unfortunately, I’m not sure where these oaks or cypress trees were located as the map wasn’t that detailed.

Still, we had a pleasant enough day and spent about two hours walking amongst the trees. Of course, I was busy taking photographs as we went along.

Like most of our UK walks or long bike rides, we ended up at a pub afterwards. We nearly missed the sign advertising a local brewery, Cellar Head Brewing Company, just down the road from the forest. What luck!

This family-owned microbrewery even uses local hops to make their beers. Kent has been growing hops for hundreds of years and you still see remnants of the hop houses as you drive around the countryside. It’s thought that the cultivation of hops was probably first introduced from Flanders (Belguim) to England in the Maidstone area of Kent at the end of the 15th century but production reached its peak during the 19th century.

View of the High Weald from the Cellar Head Brewing Company in Kent.

If you’re out in Kent, definitely check out the local pinetum and the brewery.

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Lovely Orchids at Kew Gardens in London

Before the world became consumed by everything related to Covid-19, I simply used to enjoy the beautiful flowers out and about in London.

During February and half of March, Kew Gardens in London hosted its annual Orchids Festival. The 25^th annual orchid festival featured the incredible wildlife and vibrant culture of Indonesia – an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, including Java, Borneo, Papua and Bali. The festival showcased Indonesia’s diverse landscape from tropical rainforests to spectacular volcanos, which was the main focus in the central pond area. Here, the garden staff had created a volcano with orchids!

Did you know that Indonesia has at least 4,000 species of orchids, as well as many other plants that can be found only on certain islands in the archipelago? We’ve only visited Bali so far, but I would love see more of this beautiful country?

Every year, the Orchids Festival at Kew Gardens never fails to impress me. The displays are filled with such vibrant orchids as you can see from my photos. 

Blue Orchids

Although these Phalaenopsis orchids were dyed blue, there really are rare blue orchids in Indonesia. In 1938, British entomologist Evelyn Cheesman collected samples of the extremely rare blue orchid Dendrobium azureum. In 2017, a local Indonesian conservationist discovered examples of this rare species out in the wild.

Z Orchids

Zygopetalum orchids have small blooms and only consist of 15 recognized species. The blooms usually are green and brown striped or speckled and have a velvety lip. They are quite unique!

Pitcher Plants

Bizarre pitcher plants, a type of carnivorous plants, made a good showing at the festival as well. The bulb part of the plants trap the bugs that the plants feed on.

A cute orangutan made from plants amongst the orchids.

Who knew that orchids bloom in nearly every shade of the rainbow and beyond?

Hope you enjoy the orchid photo show!

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