Nestled in the heart of Lincolnshire on the edge of the picturesque Wolds is a small wood where you can crunch crisp autumnal leaves and wander beneath the vast canopy of trees to your heart’s content. Usually a spot heralding the start of a biking route, Willingham Woods is actually a small slice of countryside where you can escape and explore all year round, though it holds a particular ethereal beauty during the autumn months.

The russet and honeyed hues of nature can lift even the gloomiest of skies, but we were lucky enough to choose a day to revel in these seasonal joys when the sun sat still all day long, and warmed us through our many layers of clothing. The rolling fields of the Wolds stretch out like a muddied patchwork quilt in the distance, but inside the wood everything is dense and earthy. Scarlet berries lace the branches that lead you down windy paths, and you are followed only by the rustle of pigeons as they spring from their perches high above the ground.

You can choose a walk length to suit your energy levels, and can even venture further afield to pass through kissing gates and amble through the ploughed paddocks. We left the confines of the wood for a short time, but soon returned to lose ourselves once again before finally emerging in the falling light of the late afternoon sun.

Images by Eleanor Holmes