Making a special expedition in search of bluebell woods is one of our annual family traditions. This time, we hopped in the car and were duly rewarded with one of spring’s most delightful sights at Ashridge Estate in the Chiltern Hills. This beautiful 5000-acre estate, owned and maintained by the National Trust, is the perfect setting for a weekend stroll and is home to vast beech and oak woodlands, chalk downlands and in spring, bluebells.

There are numerous trails and pathways here, perfect for an adventure on foot or by bicycle. After parking the car, we stopped by the visitor centre to get some directions and then followed the blue signs past the cafe and along the wide path. We found ourselves in the sweetest buttercup and heather meadow, a perfect spot for lunch.

Well fed, we carried on along the path, at first finding small clusters of bluebells in amongst the long grass. But as we ventured further into the woodlands, we were suddenly met with that heady, familiar scent and the most extraordinary carpet of violet-blue flowers; a sight that with each year passing never fails to delight and amaze.

Images by Charmaine Beaumont-Hammond