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Some Simple UK Walks to Make You Feel Alive This Spring
Once spring has sprung, it's the perfect time to take to the trails and embrace the great outdoors. With longer days and warmer temperatures finally arriving, getting out into nature becomes an irresistible invitation to refresh both mind and body.
The Magic of Spring in the UK Countryside
When it comes to the UK countryside, the charms of Flora – the Roman goddess of spring in mythology – feel particularly magical during this season. With blankets of bluebells, beautiful blooms and swathes of yellow trumpets cheering the mind, body and soul, this is the ideal time to head to hills, gardens and parks. Reap the multiple benefits of walking while connecting deeply with nature's renewal.
So slip on your walking shoes, dig out your shades in hopeful anticipation of sunny spells, and let's stride out to discover where the spring greenery might take us.
Petworth House, West Sussex
Hosting its annual Spring Festival, be among the first visitors to explore Petworth House's Pleasure Garden, which becomes spectacularly draped in daffodils each spring. With more than 10,000 blooms – each displaying unique shapes and tones ranging from gold and yellow to cream – the grounds transform into a living carpet of colour. From 5 to 27 April, horticultural talks and gardening demonstrations provide perfect interludes when you need a breather between spring family trails or woodland walks.
Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent
With its historic surroundings and world-famous garden design, this is where poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West and diplomat Harold Nicolson planted a profusion of flowering blossoms that continue to enchant visitors. Among the highlights are magnificent canopies of magnolias and cherry blossoms stretching across two orchards. Dedicated paths like the Lime Walk offer particularly magical experiences as new shoots push upward and borders burst dramatically into life, creating a true hive of spring activity.
Quarry Bank, Cheshire
Beyond its magnificent landscape encompassing 400 acres of wondrous woodland, picturesque gardens and historic cotton mill, this preserved factory stands as a benchmark of the Industrial Revolution. Today, its walled garden becomes packed with apple, pear and peach trees galore, with apricots typically blooming first. Elsewhere on the estate, the winding River Bollin with its ornamental bridges, dramatic gorges and rare wildlife offers rewards that can extend for miles of peaceful exploration.
Culzean Castle & Country Park, Ayrshire and Arran, Scotland
This dramatic cliff-top castle combines with rugged ancient cliffs and three miles of sandy coastline to blow away winter cobwebs and let you feel the spring wind in your hair. Beyond the beach and fascinating rock pools waiting to be explored, the formal gardens with their secret follies offer striking displays of blossom as early rhododendrons begin flowering. If you still have spring energy in your step, the Country Park provides 17 miles of pathways through stately woodland and picturesque glens to navigate.
Castle Ward, County Down, Northern Ireland
A firm favourite for spectacular bluebell trails, here the forest floor becomes a dense carpet of blue petals that contrast beautifully against evergreen trees, dramatically announcing spring's arrival. Visitors find themselves spoilt for choice with the Sunken Garden or clocktower to explore, with six distinct walking routes available. The Boundary Trail stands out as the most challenging option, rewarding those who take it on with magnificent views of the 18th-century mansion where the first series of Game of Thrones was filmed.
