As spring unfurls, there’s nothing quite so life-affirming as a walk through a bluebell wood. Matthew Taylor and Deborah Vernon point the way.
TO STEP INTO A BLUEBELL WOOD is to enter a remnant of ancient Britain where the demands of modern life melt away. Somehow, these frothy patches of purple bring out your carefree side. You become more aware of your surroundings. The sight of their intense violet-blue flowers fizzing up from the forest floor is enough to stop you in your tracks. One whiff of their intoxicating scent and you’re lost in the moment, momentarily forgetting the humdrum of daily life; the weekly shop, the unanswered emails or that stack of pots lying unwashed in the kitchen sink…