We’ve been so busy lately I was worried that the bluebells would be over before we got a chance to see them.  After our snow-covered trip to the Ashridge Estate, I’d been recommended to return at this time of year, and a little googling gave me the prime location to admire these lovely Spring flowers.  We headed down on Bank Holiday Monday for an afternoon of bluebell spotting in Dockey Wood and we weren’t disappointed.

As luck would have it we approached the Ashridge Estate from the Ivinghoe Beacon and spotted the car park for Dockey Wood on our right hand side.  There was one space left and it had our name on it! Parking across the estate is free but entrance to go Bluebell spotting in Dockey Wood was charged if you weren’t National Trust members.  we are, so we soon headed into the wood and were fit by the scent of the bluebells immediately.

Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a concentration of them.  It was beautiful.

To protect the bluebells, there was a pathway running through the woodland with protective barriers made with branches.  I thought it was very well done, everyone could get to see them without any risk to the delicate flowers.  Although the car park was packed, the woods itself was relatively quiet and we never felt like we were falling over anyone and it was certainly easy to take photographs without anyone else in them.

My son and his Dad strode off ahead as I played around with camera settings.

Bluebell spotting in Dockey Wood might not have been my son’s first choice of an adventure but even he had to agree that there were a lot of bluebells to admire.  It reminded me very much of our snowdrop spotting adventure at Welford Park last year.  It was the covering that was just so impressive.

There was plenty of space to take a break and pick up a few sticks.  This is my son after all.

He’s not often seen without sticks really is he.

But I was very impressed that he knew that he mustn’t try to pick the bluebells, they were just there to be admired.

A sea of bluey purple was all around us, photographs really don’t do the scene justice.

But it was lovely to just stop and take it all in.

Whilst I tried a few camera tricks out, my son whittled his sticks, everyone was happy.

When my photography class took bluebell shots last year we’d been shown how to take Impressionist painting style shots and I thought I’d have another go at trying to master the art.  Still work in progress, but even my eight year old was impressed that a camera could change what he was actually looking at.

I forgot to take my new lensball out with us so my son could help me get some fun shots.  Must remember it in the future.  I did get my son to agree to one posed shot, the are few and far between these days.  Normally I just have to grab shots of him on the hoof and hope it’s not blurred.

He’s spotted a pre-built den on the far side of the woods and was soon on a mission to explore it.

Follow me!

Stick boy heaven.

This way Mum, I’ve spotted an ice cream van in the car park!

We’d had a lovely time bluebell spotting in Dockey Wood and he’d earned his ice cream treat.  We sat on a log enjoying the sunshine before heading home for tea.

Have you been bluebell spotting?  Where would you recommend visiting?