tigger's tales

One of the best places to see the bluebells is Ashridge Estate which is managed by the National Trust.  We borrowed a dog and headed out on the Bank Holiday Monday before the bluebells disappeared for another year. We did go on the same day as the rest of the home counties but there is plenty of room for everyone.

Ashridge Estate is a 2,000 hectare area of the Chiltern Hills with beech and oak woodlands, commons and chalk downlands. These very different landscapes each support a rich variety of wildlife, including the carpets of bluebells, rare butterflies and the fallow deer.

The best way to explore the Ashridge Estate is on foot or by bike. Miles of footpaths and bridleways give plenty of space to explore, and you can drop into the visitor centre to pick up a map of one of the many routes available to follow.

Ted, the borrowed dog, attracted a bear sized, pink collared dog called Bella who accompanied us on our walk around the forest, much to Ted’s chagrin, as he loves to be the centre of attention.

The Teenagers managed not to moan too much about walking and being away from their computers and said the best part of the day was the ice-cream van, of course.