Unfortunately I missed the daffodils this year but I was determined after seeing some photos of the bluebells in bloom last year that I would try and make sure I got some nice shots of them. I had already researched some of the best places that they grow locally, it was just timing my visit right so that the flowers were out and catching them before they close as they don’t remain open for very long – this would depend on the weather. After a rather rainy Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday morning the sun decided to poke its head out for a while so my husband and I quickly grabbed our cameras and headed off on a mission.
We headed up to a local area called Linford Woods which is has a number of trails and things to explore. The wood originally covered approximate 100 acres but due to development and the building of local housing has now been broken down into smaller areas of woodland popular with locals and visitors to Milton Keynes.
We parked up in a small car park and started walking along one of the many pathways to try and find a nice opening with lots of bluebells. There were plenty growing along the edges of the pathways in small clusters but I was looking for something a bit bigger.
You may recall the song “Teddy Bears Picnic” which starts off with the line “If you go down to the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise” I always think of that song when we go here because whilst walking you will encounter some of the weird and wonderful sculptures among the woodland.
These sculptures are made out of tree stumps and branches which have fallen from the trees and have been hand carved into various shapes and styles.
Quite often the sculptures can be found in places you wouldn’t necessarily see straight away like up in an actual tree or off the beaten track in small pathways which go behind the trees and then back onto the main bridleway.
Every time we come to the woods we find different carvings. The last time we came we even found one of Rupert the Bear which was really good. This time we found snakes heads carved into the end of felled branches and the gorilla, Buddha and owl you see in the images above.
After walking for a while we came across a really nice area where there was the perfect spot for some photographs. With a nice clearing in the trees and a huge amount of flowers covering the ground – this would do nicely.
I decided to climb right down onto ground level in an attempt to get a good angle. After a few days of rain the ground was a little boggy but I didn’t let this stop me. I was determined and just waded through the mud to get the shot I wanted.
A little further on there was another nice area but we were separated from it by a water filled ditch. Not one to be deterred my husband grabbed a quite lengthy thick log and placed it over the ditch – it was a bit hair raising walking along it to get across the ditch as it was covered in moss and quite damp and slippy from the rain but we managed it and I was glad I did as I managed to get my favourite shot of the day.
The flowers literally covered the ground as far as the eye could see, a glorious blue carpet stretching across the woodland floor teamed with the fragrant aroma of the bluebells in the air it was a magical sight. This is definitely one of the reasons I love spring so much.
After taking a few shots we precariously made our way back across the log, amazingly I didn’t fall in the ditch quite a feat for someone as clumsy as me! By this time the sun was definitely being shrouded by darker clouds and we decided to head back to the car and home for a nice cup of tea.
If you ever visit this area I would recommend a trip to these woods. A lot of people just think of Milton Keynes as a concrete town, full of roundabouts when in actual fact there are lots of really lovely places like this where you can walk and explore. You just need to know they are there to appreciate them.
I’m hoping now the days are longer I will be able to venture out with the camera a bit more. I have lots of very exciting plans over the summer at which I should get some fantastic photographic opportunities starting with the wedding of two good friends this coming Saturday. Although I am bridesmaid I will still be trying to take some photos during the day to mark the occasion – let’s hope the sun decides to grace us with its presence.
Thank you all for reading and subscribing to my blog it is very much appreciated. There should be plenty of updates coming over the summer as I have a very busy diary. I also have a couple of things bubbling away in the background which I am quite excited about so hopefully I will be able to report back on those soon.
All comments welcomed as always. Thanks for reading!
