The Secret Bluebell Wood
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08.05.2022
I have lived in this area of Birmingham for nearly half my life, and I thought that I knew every hidden corner, path, and beauty spot that there is to know. This afternoon Ed and I visited Winterbourne, where we have been members for ten years. It’s my old university’s botanical garden, and I thought I knew it pretty well. We know that there’s a “secret lake” and woodland accessible via the botanic garden, but had no idea just how extensive the woodland is. This year’s bluebells are the best we’ve ever seen there. A tree fell down in late winter, and the path down to the lake feels a lot more open and accessible than it usually is. Inspired, we decided to have a nosy and followed a path into the woods that we had previously believed was just a dead in. What a surprise! Rather than a dead end, the path leads deep into the beechwoods and alongside the lake, as far as the university’s halls of residence and the golf club. The bluebells stretch the full length of the path and there are some ancient beech trees in there, too. The path is only accessible via Winterbourne and the golf club, so it’s very tucked away and quiet. I’m so glad we let our curiosity get the better of us today and that we discovered this hidden gem of a wood.
