March, April and May are busy months for insects too, as butterflies<\/a>, bees and ladybirds begin to appear in search of food, making Britain’s meadows<\/a> and grasslands the perfect setting for a springtime walk.<\/p> Make the most of this bountiful time of year with our BBC Countryfile Magazine guide the best spring nature walks, hikes and trails near you, including spring days out in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.<\/p> Distance: 8 miles | Duration: 4.5 hours<\/em><\/p> To wander through a blanket of bluebells<\/a> in spring must rank as one of the highlights of nature\u2019s calendar. Vast swathes of these intensely blue flowers carpet the landscape in late April and early May, bringing a true sense of enchantment to our native woodlands, fields and hedgerows. One such display can be found on the slopes of Rosebery Topping in Yorkshire.<\/p> Towering above Newton Wood is Roseberry Topping. Yorkshire\u2019s Matterhorn, as it is also known, sits in the far north-west of the North York Moors National Park<\/a>.<\/p> Distance: 6.8 miles (one way) | Duration: 4 hours<\/em><\/p> This stunning section of the South West Coast Path leaves Plymouth behind for the wilds of Rame Peninsula AONB. Stroll through woodlands budding with wildflowers and along sandy bays to historic Kingsand and Cawsand, before reaching spectacular Rame Head.<\/p> Park at the Strand Street Car Park, just a stone\u2019s throw from Plymouth\u2019s Barbican and city centre, and take the Cremyll Ferry to Rame Peninsula \u2013 Cornwall\u2019s forgotten corner. The boat service, which dates back to at least the 11th century, costs \u00a32 per foot passenger. Look out for lively cormorants diving as you cross.<\/p> Distance: 4 miles | Duration: 2 hours<\/em><\/p> Wordsworth\u2019s famed daffodils<\/a> nod their heads to countless Lake District<\/a> visitors beside Ullswater<\/a>. Far more secret are the woods above the tiny village of Brigsteer, nestled amid limestone hills above the Lyth Valley and Morecambe Bay. Here, wild Lenten lilies (an old English name for a native wild daffodil) stud the wooded slopes of Brigsteer Park, succeeded by wild garlic<\/a> and bluebells<\/a> in a profusion of spring colours.<\/p> This easy stroll passes Sizergh Castle before following woodland paths to tranquil Helsington Church, and one of the finest viewpoints in this corner of old Westmorland, an area earmarked for inclusion in an extended Lake District National Park.<\/p> Distance: 7 miles | Duration: 4 hours<\/em><\/p> Most people think of the Cotswolds as being north of the M4 \u2013 those exquisitely charming honey-stoned towns and villages often clogged with visitors. But between the motorway and Bath, it\u2019s just as beautiful yet few people visit and it feels more authentic.<\/p> Explore this secret of the British countryside with a seven-mile walk alongside rivers and through fields, a beguiling hamlet and a perfect lost valley. The perfect walk for a sunny spring day.<\/p> Bluebells guide: when do they flower, how to identify and best bluebell walks in the UK<\/a><\/p> One of the most welcoming signs of spring, make the most of the bluebell season this with our bluebells guide \u2013 learn when bluebells flower, how to tell the difference between English and Spanish bluebells and the best places to see.<\/p> Getty<\/em><\/p><\/div> Distance: 4 miles | Duration: 2.5 hours<\/em><\/p> It\u2019s the thin, nutrient-poor soil of this 58-hectare chalk grassland site that allows spring flowers to thrive.<\/p> Come April, the western boundary of the reserve transforms into a carpet of yellow cowslips. Later in the season, fragrant, pyramidal and bee orchids<\/a> emerge \u2013 species that, along with rock rose, horseshoe vetch and salad burnet, enjoy the lack of competition from more vigorous plants.<\/p> Shetland sheep roam the hill, keeping down taller, shade-casting grasses. Hardly surprising that St Caths is also a haven for butterflies<\/a>: the Adonis and small blues and the brown argus are the spring-emerging species to spot.<\/p> Walk to the top of the tree-topped beacon of St Catherine’s Hill in historic Winchester with this easy four-mile stroll.<\/p> Distance: 2.5 miles | Duration: 1.5 hours<\/em><\/p> Amid the tall, craggy splendours of the Lake District, it\u2019s from the lower hills that you can sometimes, with surprise, discover the finest views. <\/p> At 335m in height, Loughrigg Fell doesn\u2019t qualify as a mountain, yet it provides, in miniature, much of what the high peaks offer.<\/p> The most convenient starting point for an ascent of this modest hill is from a small roadside car-parking space at the top of Red Bank. Alternative parking can be found beyond YHA Langdale, overlooking Langdale itself.<\/p> Distance: 3 miles | Duration: 1.5 hours<\/em><\/p> The Stour in Suffolk could be the most celebrated river<\/a> in the country after the Thames. Why? Because it features in one of Britain\u2019s favourite artworks, The Hay Wain<\/i>, painted by John Constable in 1821.<\/p> Remarkably, the same scene can be viewed today. Preserved (but not fossilised) by the National Trust, this is the apex of a much-loved river walk, perfect in spring.<\/p> The short walk takes you along the marshy banks of the River Stour, running from the Suffolk town of Dedham to Flatford Mill \u2013 once home to painter John Constable \u2013 and back again.<\/p> Distance: 3.5 miles | Duration: 1.5 hours<\/em><\/p> On a quiet spring day, there\u2019s a lost world feel to North Devon\u2019s enigmatic Valley of Rocks, despite the serpentine ribbon of road that curls through the vale in the place where a river once ran.<\/p> Here, ancient fossil-rich<\/a> fingers of Devonian stone form shadow puppets against the sky, framing one of south-west England\u2019s most dramatic views, as Exmoor stampedes off the edge of towering cliffs and down to the churning sea.<\/p> Exult in these cliffs where feral goats clamber skilfully between Devonian crags on our short circular walk around the Valley of Rocks in Devon.<\/p> Distance: 8.5 miles | Duration: 6 hours<\/em><\/p> Settle Up\u2019 and \u2018Settle Down\u2019 proclaim the platform benches as you step off the train at Settle\u2019s lovingly restored station, gateway to the pretty little market town and a landscape rich in gleaming limestone scars, caves and potholes.<\/p> Look out for twisted hawthorns blooming among the limestone pavements, and riverside meadows dotted with cuckoo flowers, primroses, dog violets and lesser celandine.<\/p> Distance: 4.5 miles | Duration: 2 hours<\/em><\/p> On a sunny spring day with a hint of breeze, the new season\u2019s wildflowers<\/a> assault the senses. Stand on Headstone Viaduct and breathe deeply; ramson\u2019s garlicky smell drifts by, while hints of yellow, white, blue and purple ripple tantalisingly on the flanks and floor of Monsal Dale.<\/p> There\u2019s a treat in store on this four-and-a-half mile ramble across, above and into the Wye\u2019s twisting, wooded gorge deep in the White Peak.<\/p> Distance: 7.5 miles | Duration: 4 hours<\/em><\/p> Just 20 miles from Manchester city centre, the precipitous Tegg\u2019s Nose Country Park represents an abrupt end to the Cheshire Plain, with flat fields replaced by a whole new, wild landscape of steep, craggy hills, open moors and dense, impenetrable forest.<\/p> As befits such a wild area, this route is steep in places, crossing a rich mix of habitats offering the chance to spot an equally diverse range of wildlife. Over the meadows, look for buzzards circling overhead, scanning the fields for carrion, and listen for the unmistakable cronking of garrulous ravens, as well as the piping trill of skylarks as they soar upwards.<\/p> Between May and August, the meadows are covered with a carpet of yellow mountain pansies, interspersed with common spotted orchids<\/a> and yellowy green clusters of flowers atop lady\u2019s mantle.<\/p> In the woods, you can spot crossbills flitting among the pine trees, along with pied flycatchers and redstarts, and you may even see one of the small herds of red deer that still roam among the trees. <\/p> Distance: 7.1 miles | Duration: 4 hours<\/em><\/p> Pegsdon Hills and Hoo Bit Nature Reserve sit above the village of Hexton in the Chiltern Hills AONB. The wildflower meadows that grow on these chalk hillsides are popular with brown argus, green hairstreak, dingy and grizzled butterflies. Wait until after dusk and you may even see glow worms<\/a>. To the west are the steep, well-grazed slopes of Barton Hills National Nature Reserve.<\/p> In spring and summer, visitors can explore the downland and beech woodland, where dark green fritillary, marbled white and chalkhill blue butterflies dance among grazing Dartmoor ponies. The reserve is also Bedfordshire\u2019s main site for the rare pasqueflower, which blooms between April and early June.<\/p> Distance: 4 miles | Duration: 2 hours<\/em><\/p> Firth, between Kippford and Castle Point, where Urr Water meets the Solway Firth, is blessed with a variety of habitats. Ancient broadleaf woodlands<\/a> burst with wood anemones and bluebells; well-tended meadows erupt with daisies, dandelions and insect-friendly grasses; and vibrant yellow gorse flowers line the coastal headland like floral beacons.<\/p> There are numerous viewpoints from which to survey this colourful landscape: The Muckle\u2019s gorse-topped summit, 100m above sea level, is ideal for little legs; the small peak of Mote of Mark is the perfect prelude to a picnic in the flower meadow below; and then there\u2019s Rough Island (accessed only at low tide and closed in May and June to protect ground-nesting ringed plovers and oystercatchers)<\/p> Distance: 5 miles | 3 hours<\/em><\/p> Coille Mh\u00f2r \u2013 the great wood \u2013 is a haven for beautiful flowers. Bluebells grow beneath the tree canopies, alongside the distinctive bluish-purple petals of common dog violet. Robert Herrick paid homage to the latter in his poem To Violets<\/em>: \u201cWelcome, maids of honour, You doe bring in the spring; And wait upon her.\u201d<\/p> The zing of spring is powerful here. Pure air provides ideal conditions for an impressive range of lichens that grow en masse upon the old oaks of Coille Mh\u00f2r\u2019s lower slopes. Higher up, birch, rowan, alder and ash thrive, and the forest is also home to mammals including badgers, pine martens and visiting otters.<\/p> A beautiful five-mile woodland walk on the north-west coast of Scotland comes alive with wildflowers, lichen, and trees in spring.<\/p> Distance: 4 miles | Duration: 3 hours<\/em><\/p> It\u2019s spring, and the teetering cliff tops of Handa Island in Scotland\u2019s remote north-west are a sanctuary for seabirds<\/a>. Guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, fulmars and Arctic terns nest alongside the puffins and, by summer, the island reverberates with the sound of 100,000 breeding seabirds, one of north-west Europe\u2019s largest colonies.<\/p> In the warmer months, a small passenger ferry (07780967800) runs daily from Tarbet on the mainland across the Sound of Handa to the ivory-white beaches of Port an Eilean and Traigh an Teampaill on the island\u2019s eastern shores.<\/p> Not far from the landing site, the Scottish Wildlife Trust\u2019s<\/a> visitor centre \u2013 a modest stone building, crammed with animal bones, old ID books and binoculars for hire \u2013 is the perfect starting point for a circular walk around the island.<\/p> Distance: 8 miles | Duration: 5 hours<\/em><\/p> From Gower<\/a>\u2019s coasts, Cefn Bryn is a gently swelling sandstone ridge that invites your eyes and eventually your legs along its length. <\/p> Scattered over it are prehistoric hut circles, burnt mounds and cairns, most notably the magnificent Maen Ceti (King Arthur\u2019s Stone), a Neolithic cromlech that, built to shelter human bones, now harbours lichens and rain.<\/p> In spring, three-lobed water crowfoot flowers in summit ponds that eventually dry out in summer when the hill is a tapestry of Western gorse, heathers, cotton-grass, heath-rush and molinia. <\/p> Meanwhile, in deeper Broad Pool at the hill\u2019s limestone foot, fringed waterlily, lesser marshwort and water-milfoil thrive. Herons, snipe, little grebes, water stick insects, water scorpions, 14 species of dragonflies and damselflies<\/a> can also be found, as well as the occasional billowing bride (the pool is a popular wedding photo venue).<\/p> Distance: 2.5 miles | Duration: 1.5 hours<\/em><\/p> The jagged peaks that soar over Cwm Idwal dwarf the Arctic-alpine plants that grow on the slopes around its waters. To appreciate them fully, you have to crouch down or dangle over them to see their colourful petals hunkered on ledges or in crevices \u2013 it\u2019s here that they thrive, feeding on minerals that leach through the rock.<\/p> These miniature Ice Age relics have outlived the mammoths, surviving in an environment that is neither far enough north to be considered Arctic nor high enough to be alpine. Accustomed elsewhere to cold snowy winters, here the climate is unpredictable and predominantly wet, with ill-defined seasons.<\/p> The months of March, April and May, like the rest, are often wind-whipped, veiled in cloud and doused in rain. It is the flowering of these special Arctic-alpines that distinguish spring from the rest of the year.<\/p> Distance: 17.5 miles | Duration: 9 hours<\/em><\/p> The 11 Clwydians \u2013 a run of modest hills<\/a> that you sink between and then promptly crest, with the breeze raking your hair and the sky scrubbing the heather \u2013 stretch south from Prestatyn for 20 miles between the Dee Estuary and Vale of Clwyd.<\/p> Navigating the hills and surrounding valleys, the Clwydian Way, a 122-mile circular route, takes in the towns of Prestatyn, Llangollen and Corwen, and explores Loggerheads Country Park, which has mixed ash woodland and limestone grassland, Llyn Brenig (a reservoir), and Coed Clocaenog, where red squirrels thrive.<\/p> The hills are a rippling riot of colour in both spring and summer, granting breathtaking views. Connecting the Irish Sea with mid-Wales, this 17.5-mile route follows the length of the ridgeline. It can be walked in one long day or two moderate days.<\/p> Distance: 4.6 miles | Duration: 3 hours<\/em><\/p> Running along the spine of England and Wales for 177 miles, this ancient path follows the eighth-century fortification built on the order of King Offa in an attempt to divide Mercia from rival kingdoms.<\/p> This energetic circular walk \u2013 ideal for a spring day out \u2013 meanders in and out of the Brecon Beacons National Park<\/a>, negotiating the scenic Hatterall Ridge that separates England from Wales. Lying in the Vale of Ewyas, the evocative ruins of Llanthony Priory, a 12th-century Augustinian abbey, can also be enjoyed. However, to appreciate its full splendour, grit your teeth and prepare for a heart-pumping climb\u2026<\/p> Distance: 4.5 miles | Duration: 3 hours<\/em><\/p> The cliffs at Traeth Mawr reach into the spring sky like the stepped, ivory walls of a Mayan temple. Peregrines nest upon the ledges of the tottering limestone bluffs, and choughs, the rarest members of the crow family<\/a>, chee-ow and soar. <\/p> Greater knapweed, wild cabbage and knotted hedge-parsley gather in clumps on the grassy crests, while down in the valley, where the land meets the sea, common rockrose sings yellow alongside the occasional clustered bellflower or horseshoe vetch.<\/p> Distance: 3.5 miles | Duration: 1.5 hours<\/em><\/p> Caldey Island lies a few miles off the magnificent Pembrokeshire<\/a> coast of west Wales. It is one of Britain\u2019s Holy Islands and, today, the Cistercian order continues to observe traditions begun in the 6th century by Celtic monks.<\/p> The imposing 20th-century Arts and Craft-style white monastery, with its red-tiled roofs, perches above a village green and duck pond, surrounded by deciduous woods. Explore the trees, glades, fields and cliff tops of this peaceful island \u2013 past historic buildings and a small chocolate factory \u2013 on winding, flower-banked paths. A ferry runs daily (except Sundays and weather permitting) from Tenby harbour, Easter to October. Look out for seals as you cross the sea to Priory Bay.<\/p> 0.2 miles\u20132.4 miles | 20 mins\u20131 hour | easy<\/em><\/p> Explore the woodland, farms, orchards and walled garden of Mount Stewart Demesne. The area is popular with red squirrels, buzzards and woodpeckers, and in spring the the countryside blooms with wildflowers.<\/p>Best spring walks in England<\/h2>
Roseberry Topping, North Yorkshire<\/h3>
![\"Roseberry](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/09\/Roseberry-Topping-d42b193.jpg\" "\\"Roseberry")
Discover more great walks<\/h4>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/09\/GettyImages-529918247-4f2707c.jpg\")
Rame Head, Cornwall<\/h3>
![\"Rame](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-519622182-d7c5346.jpg\" "\\"Rame")
Brigsteer Woods, Cumbria<\/h3>
![\"Daffodils\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/03\/shutterstock_92768524-eed4236-9fb0be4.jpg\" "\\"Daffodils\\"\/")
Marshfield, South Gloucestershire<\/h3>
![\"broadmead-brook_0-5e30770\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/09\/broadmead-brook_0-5e30770.jpg\" "\\"broadmead-brook_0-5e30770\\"\/")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2021\/02\/Bluebells-at-Wanstead-Park-London-e1ca7e9.jpg\")
St Catherine\u2019s Hill, Hampshire<\/h3>
![\"St-Catherines-hill-cb1b5a4\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/09\/St-Catherines-hill-cb1b5a4.jpg\" "\\"St-Catherines-hill-cb1b5a4\\"\/")
Loughrigg Fell, Cumbria<\/h3>
![\"Bluebells](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2020\/05\/Loughrigg-Terrace-bluebells-2430f04-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Loughrigg")
River Stour, Suffolk<\/h3>
![\"Willy](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2021\/05\/Willy-Lotts-Cottage-River-Stour-GettyImages-1085330318-748ce1b.jpg\" "\\"Summertime")
Discover more great walks<\/h4>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/05\/St-Nectans-Glen-42e0fd6.jpg\")
Valley of Rocks, Devon<\/h3>
![\"Valley](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/09\/GettyImages-629600655_0-2e31222.jpg\" "\\"Valley")
Settle, North Yorkshire<\/h3>
![\"Green](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2020\/05\/Goat-Scar-Lane-Yorkshire-580ac22-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Goat")
Monsal Dale, Derbyshire<\/h3>
![\"River](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2019\/02\/Monsal-Dale-weir-Peak-District-Derbyshire-559b680.jpg\" "\\"Monsal")
Tegg\u2019s Nose Country Park, Cheshire<\/h3>
![\"View](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2021\/10\/Teggs-Nose-view-e10fa9c-e1674133822401.jpg\" "\\"Tegg's")
Deacon Hill, Pegsdon and Barton Hills, Bedfordshire<\/h3>
![\"Pegsdon](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/02\/Pegsdon-Hills-e4aaef1-1-e1674134058914.jpg\" "\\"Pegsdon")
Best spring walks in Scotland<\/h2>
Rockcliffe to Kippford, Dumfries and Galloway<\/h3>
![\"The-view-from-The-Muckle-overlooking-Rough-Island-and-Rough-Firth-by-Simon-Whaley-e2a503b\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/09\/The-view-from-The-Muckle-overlooking-Rough-Island-and-Rough-Firth-by-Simon-Whaley-e2a503b.jpg\" "\\"The-view-from-The-Muckle-overlooking-Rough-Island-and-Rough-Firth-by-Simon-Whaley-e2a503b\\"\/")
Coille Mhor, Balmacara, Highland<\/h3>
![\"Pond](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2019\/02\/Balmacara-Scotland-b0a164d-e1674134103615.png\" "\\"Balmacara,")
Handa Island, Sutherland<\/h3>
![\"Rocky](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/09\/Handa-5-1fa7c80-e1674134123766.jpg\" "\\"Handa")
Best spring walks in Wales<\/h2>
Cefn Bryn, Gower<\/h3>
![\"Cefn](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2011\/07\/Cefn-Bryn-Gower-ad67b82-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Cefn")
Cwm Idwal, Gwynedd<\/h3>
![\"Llyn](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/03\/GettyImages-817135852-044ab48.jpg\" "\\"Llyn")
Clwydian Range, Denbighshire\/Flintshire<\/h3>
![\"View](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2020\/05\/Moel-Famau-Country-Park-on-the-Clwydian-range-in-North-Wales-fd47901-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Moel")
Llanthony and Hatterall Ridge, Monmouthshire<\/h3>
![\"Llanthony](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2021\/10\/Llanthony-Priory-in-Welsh-landscape-0efa1fb.jpg\" "\\"Llanthony")
Cwm Nash and Traeth Mawr, Glamorgan<\/h3>
![\"Nash](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2019\/03\/Nash-Brook-Glamorgan-c00af44.jpg\" "\\"Nash")
Caldey Island, Pembrokeshire<\/h3>
![\"Flowers](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/03\/Caldey-island-85d3a02.jpg\" "\\"Caldey")
Best spring walks in Northern Ireland<\/h2>
Mount Stewart Demesne Trails, County Down<\/h3>
![\"Mount](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2018\/09\/Mount20Stewart-72885e3-e1669288933864.jpg\" "\\"Mount")
![\"Binevenagh](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/01\/Binevenagh-viewpoint-b667d03.jpg\" "\\"Binevenagh\\"\/")