There are many beautiful walks that involve views of the blue water of Bewl reservoir but today the sea of blue is on the land, it sweeps through the woods, rolling over the ground around the trees and paths under the shaded canopy of woodland. It is bluebell season and time for not only a stunning visual sensation but a sweet perfume too.
Legend says that bluebells are intricately woven with fairy enchantment, well I would agree that there is a magical feel to woodlands full of bluebells, maybe even more so as bluebells are an indicator that a wood is ancient. As you walk through the mass of blue you wonder what stories this historic habitat has to share. To think that the woods that border Bewl Water’s footpaths may go back 10,000 years; they are all that is left of the original woods that stretched across the whole of this part of the UK after the Ice Age.
Bluebells also had their use in ancient times as the sap was used to bind pages into the spines of books and the bulbs were crushed to provide starch for the ruffs of cuffs and sleeves of Elizabethan clothes.
As you walk around Bewl Water look in at the woodlands along the pathways to see the massive haze of blue. Then along the northwest footpath there are three beautiful Woodland Trust woods called Combewell, Pig and Frog with tracks that allow you to wander through the springtime sea of blue and enjoy meandering around these ancient woods.
Find our more about Woodland walks from the Woodland Trust and enjoy walks at Bewl Water – find out more here.
