Where to see bluebells

Bluebell

©Luke Massey/2020VISION

Where to see bluebells

Bluebell woods

Over the space of a few weeks in spring, from mid-April onwards, bluebells set our woodlands ablaze with their bright blue flowers.  The UK is home to more than half the world’s population of bluebells, making it our unofficial national flower. Their presence is a sure sign you are in a very old woodland.

The Wildlife Trusts care for hundreds of woodlands and look after some of the finest displays of bluebells in the country.

Find a bluebell wood near you

Do a little research in advance and find out where your nearest ancient woodland is. Below you can find a list of more than 100 Wildlife Trust bluebells woods, all free to enter.

Midlands

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Islands

What to look for

Bluebells are the start of the show in springtime woodlands but there's lots more to see and hear too. Listen out for woodland birds singing from the branches. Many bluebells woods will be home to birds that have migrated thousands of miles to the UK to breed like the blackcap, wood warbler, nightingale and chiffchaff. On the ground look for other woodland wildflowers among the bluebells like the delicate white stars of stitchwort and the unmissable pink spikes of early purple orchids. Remember it’s not just about the colour. The flowers have a distinctive if subtle sweet scent: get down amongst the nodding flower heads and take a deep sniff too!

If you can't get to a bluebell wood

If you can't get to an old woodland look out for bluebells growing in road verges, in small patches of woodland and in parks and gardens in April and May. But outside ancient woodlands you might be looking at spanish bluebells which are subtly different to our native english bluebells and can be found in parks and gardens.

More wildlife experiences

From seeing colourful wildflowers to spotting magnificent birds of prey, we can help you get closer to wildlife across the UK.

How you can help

As a charity we rely on memberships. They help us look after over 2,300 nature reserves and protect the animals that call them home.

Join for as little as £3 a month
Red squirrel

Bertie Gregory/2020VISION

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