- Joined
- Jan 28, 2007
- Messages
- 2,239
- Reaction score
- 306
Top 10 autumn walks
Top 10 autumn walks - Yahoo! Travel UK
As autumn gets under way, Britain’s forests, parks and gardens come alive with a dazzling display of colour. And this year, due to the cold weather in January and February, we’re predicted a particularly good show. Here are our top 10 places to see spectacular autumn colour.
Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, England
The National Arboretum at Westonbirt is set ablaze with colour from late September to November. It’s one of the most important collections of trees in the world and has examples of over 18,000 trees and shrubs. Don’t miss their collection of Japanese maples, which is spectacular at this time of year. To keep up-to-date with what looks best when, check the Autumn Watch section of the Westonbirt website.
Find out more
Hever Castle, Kent, England
Join the gardeners at Hever Castle on 16 and 17 October for the Walking in the Wild autumn trail around the 38 acre (15 hectare) lake at Anne Boleyn’s childhood home. You’ll see a vast range of deciduous and evergreen trees and seasonal joys like fungi, edible berries, hazelnuts and conkers as well as bird boxes that house owls, robins and woodpeckers.
Find out more
Exbury Gardens, New Forest, England
Exbury Gardens in the New Forest National Park is a 200 acre (100 hectare) site comprising a unique collection of trees and shrubs - the autumn displays here are, without a doubt, some of the best around. Enjoy the striking russet colouring of the waterside maples, deciduous azaleas and the numerous varieties of dogwood that you’ll find on the Autumn Trail. Don’t miss the Wild Autumn art exhibition at the Five Arrows Gallery.
Find out more
Stourhead, Wiltshire, England
Visit one of the world’s finest 18th-century landscaped gardens and see elegant vistas highlighted with burnished leaves and rusty hues. Explore Stourhead’s numerous classical and gothic follies and take in the reflection of golden leaves on the lake. The views that open up as you explore the site are especially glorious in autumn as the leaves of native beech and oak form a backdrop for displays of more exotic trees and shrubs.
Find out more
Dawyck Botanical Garden, Near Peebles, Scotland
Make the short journey from Edinburgh and join an Autumn Magic Tour on 20 October to see the ripening fruits and fungi at one of Britain’s most colourful arboretums. See crimson crab apples, shining acorns and the rusty red of Dawyck’s famous beech trees. Don’t miss the Japanese katsura tree which in early autumn fills the air with an unmistakable caramel scent.
Find out more
Faskally Forest, Perthshire, Scotland
The owners of Faskally Forest created this ‘model forest’ in the 19th century and it’s chock-full of beautiful specimens that are at their blazing best during the autumn. Join the Autumn Gold event on 21 or 28 October for a guided walk around some of the highlights of the area known as ‘big tree country’. If you’re around in the evening you can visit the Enchanted Forest, a sound and light show that brings the autumn forest to spectacular life.
Find out more
Powis Castle and Garden, Welshpool, Wales
Dusky pink Powis Castle looks at its best on bright autumn days and the gardens around it are equally special this time of year. Join the head gardener on 21 October for an autumn ramble to see the best of Powis’s elegant grounds. Look out for the voluminous clipped yews and elegant planted terraces that contrast beautifully with the bronzes, browns and golds of the woodland wilderness.
Find out more
Kew Gardens, London, England
Relax in the famous Kew Gardens (just 20 minutes from Central London), where you can see autumn flowering crocuses, colchicums and hardy cyclamen as well as some of the world's rarest plants. This year there’s also a kids’ autumn festival running throughout October and biodiversity walks around the enormous 300 acre (120 hectare) site.
Find out more
Green Castle Woods, near Carmarthen, Wales
Green Castle Woods include three separate semi-natural ancient woodlands alongside newer areas of meadow and native forest. Two of the woodlands are principally oak, the third is very variable with birch, ash, alder and willow, so the mix of autumnal colours is particularly good. If you want the classic British autumn experience, native forest like this is hard to beat. To find more woodland areas in the UK check out the Woodland Trust website.
Find out more
Mount Stewart, County Down, Northern Ireland
Explore one of the National Trust’s most unusual gardens on 23 October with one of Mount Stewart’s experienced guides on an autumn walk. The gardens of Mount Stewart are considered of international importance and support many exotic plants because of the warm climate of the Ards Peninsula.
Find out more
Top 10 autumn walks - Yahoo! Travel UK
As autumn gets under way, Britain’s forests, parks and gardens come alive with a dazzling display of colour. And this year, due to the cold weather in January and February, we’re predicted a particularly good show. Here are our top 10 places to see spectacular autumn colour.
Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, England
The National Arboretum at Westonbirt is set ablaze with colour from late September to November. It’s one of the most important collections of trees in the world and has examples of over 18,000 trees and shrubs. Don’t miss their collection of Japanese maples, which is spectacular at this time of year. To keep up-to-date with what looks best when, check the Autumn Watch section of the Westonbirt website.
Find out more
Hever Castle, Kent, England
Join the gardeners at Hever Castle on 16 and 17 October for the Walking in the Wild autumn trail around the 38 acre (15 hectare) lake at Anne Boleyn’s childhood home. You’ll see a vast range of deciduous and evergreen trees and seasonal joys like fungi, edible berries, hazelnuts and conkers as well as bird boxes that house owls, robins and woodpeckers.
Find out more
Exbury Gardens, New Forest, England
Exbury Gardens in the New Forest National Park is a 200 acre (100 hectare) site comprising a unique collection of trees and shrubs - the autumn displays here are, without a doubt, some of the best around. Enjoy the striking russet colouring of the waterside maples, deciduous azaleas and the numerous varieties of dogwood that you’ll find on the Autumn Trail. Don’t miss the Wild Autumn art exhibition at the Five Arrows Gallery.
Find out more
Stourhead, Wiltshire, England
Visit one of the world’s finest 18th-century landscaped gardens and see elegant vistas highlighted with burnished leaves and rusty hues. Explore Stourhead’s numerous classical and gothic follies and take in the reflection of golden leaves on the lake. The views that open up as you explore the site are especially glorious in autumn as the leaves of native beech and oak form a backdrop for displays of more exotic trees and shrubs.
Find out more
Dawyck Botanical Garden, Near Peebles, Scotland
Make the short journey from Edinburgh and join an Autumn Magic Tour on 20 October to see the ripening fruits and fungi at one of Britain’s most colourful arboretums. See crimson crab apples, shining acorns and the rusty red of Dawyck’s famous beech trees. Don’t miss the Japanese katsura tree which in early autumn fills the air with an unmistakable caramel scent.
Find out more
Faskally Forest, Perthshire, Scotland
The owners of Faskally Forest created this ‘model forest’ in the 19th century and it’s chock-full of beautiful specimens that are at their blazing best during the autumn. Join the Autumn Gold event on 21 or 28 October for a guided walk around some of the highlights of the area known as ‘big tree country’. If you’re around in the evening you can visit the Enchanted Forest, a sound and light show that brings the autumn forest to spectacular life.
Find out more
Powis Castle and Garden, Welshpool, Wales
Dusky pink Powis Castle looks at its best on bright autumn days and the gardens around it are equally special this time of year. Join the head gardener on 21 October for an autumn ramble to see the best of Powis’s elegant grounds. Look out for the voluminous clipped yews and elegant planted terraces that contrast beautifully with the bronzes, browns and golds of the woodland wilderness.
Find out more
Kew Gardens, London, England
Relax in the famous Kew Gardens (just 20 minutes from Central London), where you can see autumn flowering crocuses, colchicums and hardy cyclamen as well as some of the world's rarest plants. This year there’s also a kids’ autumn festival running throughout October and biodiversity walks around the enormous 300 acre (120 hectare) site.
Find out more
Green Castle Woods, near Carmarthen, Wales
Green Castle Woods include three separate semi-natural ancient woodlands alongside newer areas of meadow and native forest. Two of the woodlands are principally oak, the third is very variable with birch, ash, alder and willow, so the mix of autumnal colours is particularly good. If you want the classic British autumn experience, native forest like this is hard to beat. To find more woodland areas in the UK check out the Woodland Trust website.
Find out more
Mount Stewart, County Down, Northern Ireland
Explore one of the National Trust’s most unusual gardens on 23 October with one of Mount Stewart’s experienced guides on an autumn walk. The gardens of Mount Stewart are considered of international importance and support many exotic plants because of the warm climate of the Ards Peninsula.
Find out more
