Awesome autumn hikes: Nothing beats a glorious British woodland walk (plus cosy overnight stay). Here’s our pick of the best
- This round-up features 13 splendid UK walks in Avon, London and more
- The walks have been picked from The Wildlife Trust’s book ‘Wildlife Walks…’
- READ MORE: Here’s what happened when I booked a ‘£129 mystery holiday’
Yes, it’s getting chilly but don’t let that put you off an autumnal getaway. Leaves will soon be blazing in golden and coppery hues, a performance not to be missed.
The Wildlife Trust’s book Wildlife Walks: Get Back To Nature At More Than 475 Of The UK’s Best Wild Places offers what its (rather long) title says.
Here are some of the best for this rewarding time of the year for a ramble.
SPLENDID STAFFS
Here, we showcase some of the best places in the UK for an autumn ramble (file image)
The Roaches on the edge of the Peak District National Park features soaring rock faces, wide-open moors and heather-covered hills
The Roaches is a magnificent 975-acre landscape on the edge of the Peak District National Park that’s a hit with climbers and hikers alike.
Soaring rock faces, wide-open moors and heather-covered hills offer fine panoramic views. In the less-visited northern end are sheltered woodlands. Spot soaring buzzards and grouse.
How long? 2 hours.
Getting there: Leek, Staffordshire, ST13 8UA (staffs-wildlife.org.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles from £104 B&B at the charming nearby Three Horseshoes spa hotel (3shoesinn.co.uk).
COLOURFUL WEST COUNTRY
Goblin Combe, in Avon, is home to a wonderful mix of airy grassland above a damp wooded gorge cut into the limestone by melting Ice Age snows.
Autumn gentian and yellow wort bring colour to the grasslands, and the woodland conceals rarities such as moonwort and hazel dormice, joined by throngs of fungi in autumn. Look out for common inkcaps, oily waxcaps, white saddle and lilac bonnet.
How long? 2-3 hours.
Getting there: Cleeve Hill Road, Cleeve, Avon, BS49 4PH (avonwildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles at the comfortable nearby Congresbury Arms from £88 B&B (congresburyarms.co.uk).
KESTRELS IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE
With more than 60 acres of cliffs, disused quarries, woodland, saltmarsh and the spectacular limestone Wye Gorge, Lancaut in Gloucestershire is an autumn treat. There are some 350 plant species including small-leaved lime trees, rare whitebeams, oaks, maples and yew trees. Expect violets, lesser calamint, red valerian and shining crane’s-bill, plus peregrine falcons, ravens and kestrels.
How long? 2 hours.
Getting there: Lancaut Lane, Gloucestershire, NP16 7JB (gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles from £76 at the recently refurbished Two Rivers inn in Chepstow (marstonsinns.co.uk).
LONDON SURPRISE
Above is a ruined Victorian folly in Sydenham Hill Wood, a woodland where old oaks and hornbeams mix with more recently planted trees
Keep an eye out for woodpeckers at Sydenham Hill Wood (file image)
Sydenham Hill Wood in South London forms part of the largest remaining tract of the old Great North Wood.
Old oaks and hornbeams mix with more recently planted trees, tawny owls nesting in tree holes, firecrests hopping among branches and stag beetles thriving in the pieces of rotting wood. There’s plenty of rare fungi at this time of year. Keep an eye out for woodpeckers.
How long? 1 hour.
Getting there: Enter via Crescent Wood Road or Dulwich Wood, London, SE26 (wildlondon.org.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles at Crown and Greyhound in Dulwich from £118 (innkeeperscollection.co.uk).
BEAVERS IN CHESHIRE
Nunsmere Hall Hotel (pictured) makes a good base for exploring Hatchmere Nature Reserve in Cheshire
The lakes and peatlands at Hatchmere Nature Reserve in Cheshire were formed by glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age.
The reserve is home to Cheshire’s first pair of beavers after 400 years of local extinction. These incredible mammals create diverse wetlands through canal digging and damming, while the wetlands in turn bring enormous benefits to other wildlife. At dusk, you may catch a glimpse.
How long? 2 hours.
How to get there: Delamere Road, Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6 6NY (cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles at Nunsmere Hall Hotel, a country house hotel, from £115 B&B (nunsmere.co.uk).
NOTTS WITH LOTS
Rainworth Heath is one of the last remaining areas of heathland in Nottinghamshire. It’s peppered with peaty pools fringed with sphagnum mosses. Adders can sometimes be spotted in gaps under gorse bushes.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is re-establishing heather, controlling bracken and grazing with Hebridean sheep.
How long? 2 hours.
How to get there: From Rainworth village, Nottinghamshire, NG21 0HR (nottinghamshirewildlife.org).
Where to stay: Doubles from £85 at charming Rainworth Lodge (rainworthlodge.co.uk).
KENTISH WILDS
Almost 1,000 years old, West Blean and Thornden Woods, in Kent, features some non-native conifer trees that are being removed by Wildlife Trusts, which is regenerating the woodland by coppicing: a traditional management technique that’s great for sensitive wildlife.
How long? 2 hours.
Getting there: Thornden Wood Road, Kent, CT6 7NZ (kentwildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles at the modern Hampton by Hilton Canterbury, five miles south, from £86 (hilton.com).
LIVELY WORCS
Expect spectacular colours to be on display at Piper’s Hill and Dodderhill Commons in Worcestershire
Piper’s Hill and Dodderhill Commons in Worcestershire boast more than 240 veteran trees including some several hundred years old. These venerable beech, sweet chestnut and oak giants mean the reserve comes to life in autumn, with spectacular colours sweeping through the wood and fungi waiting to catch your eye.
Tits, nuthatches and woodpeckers love the old trees.
How long? 45 minutes.
Getting there: Near Hanbury on the B4091, Worcestershire, B60 4AS (worcswildlifetrust.co.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles at the nearby The Vernon inn from £75 (vernonhanbury.co.uk).
RED KITES IN WILTS
Keep an eye out for red kites soaring above Coombe Bissett Down, in Wiltshire (above)
If you like to combine your wildlife walks with local history then you’ll love Coombe Bissett Down, in Wiltshire. The Coombe’s steep slopes feature medieval terraces called strip lynchets, where artefacts from the Iron Age and Roman times have been found. Flocks of linnet and mistle thrush can be seen in the scrub. There’ll be plenty of red kites soaring above.
How long? 3 hours.
Getting there: At Coombe Bissett, take turning to Homington, then right into Pennings Drove (wiltshirewildlife.org).
Where to stay: Doubles from £120 B&B at the Saw Mill Hotel on the edge of Salisbury, four miles north (oldmillsalisbury.co.uk).
HANTS VIEWS
You might spot kestrels on a trek through St Catherine’s Hill Nature Reserve in Hampshire (above)
A dramatic climb up wooden stairs at St Catherine’s Hill Nature Reserve, in Hampshire, reveals show-stopping views over Winchester and the Itchen Valley floodplains.
At the summit, you’ll discover the earthworks of an Iron Age fort, the buried ruins of a Norman chapel and a copse of beech trees where green woodpeckers cackle. Kestrels hunt in the valley below.
How long? 2-3 hours.
Getting there: Garnier Road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 9PA (hiwwt.org.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles from £148 B&B at the cosy and eclectic Wykeham Arms in Winchester (wykehamarmswinchester.co.uk).
QUIET IN SHROPSHIRE
Rhos Fiddle is on the border between England and Wales — a heathland hilltop with big skies and is one of the quietest places in Shropshire.
It’s an ancient wilderness surviving amid green agricultural pastures. The boggy pools and surrounding wet heath attract wading birds like snipe. Sphagnum mosses, cotton grass and bog asphodel thrive in the wetter areas.
How long? 1 hour.
Getting there: Newcastle on Clun, Shropshire, SY7 8QT (shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles from £71 at the traditional White Horse Inn in Clun (whitehorseclun.com).
LOVELY LIMESTONE
Straddling the border between England and Wales, Llanymynech Rocks in Montgomeryshire is a spectacular limestone outcrop.
From the early 19th century until the end of World War I, the site was a quarry; since then, nature has crept in. Jackdaws and peregrine falcons raise their families on the old quarry faces.
How long? 2 hours.
Getting there: Underhill Lane, Llanymynech, SY10 9RB (shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles at the elegant Penyvoel Hall hotel, half a mile away £121 B&B (penyvoelhall.com).
EAGLES IN EIGG
The Isle of Eigg in Scotland boasts an abundance of wildlife, including golden eagles, buzzards and ravens
The Isle of Eigg in Scotland is home to an exceptional wildlife refuge where unimproved farmland and native woodland meet moorland and raised bogs.
Above the trees, golden eagles, buzzards and ravens patrol their high kingdoms. Back on solid ground, cuckoos, whinchats, whitethroats and willow warblers fill the air with heart-swelling song.
How long? From 1-4 hours.
Getting there: Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Mallaig (scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to stay: Doubles at the charming Arisaig Hotel on the Isle of Eigg from £178 B&B (arisaighotel.co.uk).
- Wildlife Walks by Charlotte Varela (Bloomsbury Wildlife)
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