Blean Woods RSPB Nature Reserve
About
A 509-hectare ancient woodland reserve a few miles northwest of the city, one of the largest surviving blocks of ancient woodland in England, managed by the RSPB with waymarked trails through oak, sweet chestnut and birch. It's known among birders for nightingales singing in the scrub through late April and May, nightjars at dusk in early summer, and Britain's rarest breeding woodpecker, the lesser spotted woodpecker, alongside heath fritillary butterflies on the wing from mid-June to mid-July. Bluebells carpet parts of the wood in spring. This is a proper walk out of town rather than an old-town stop, and it needs a car or bike to reach comfortably.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓509 hectares of ancient woodland, one of the largest such blocks in England
- ✓Nightingales and nightjars in season
- ✓Britain's rarest breeding woodpecker, the lesser spotted woodpecker
- ✓Bluebell woods in spring
Tips
- →Free entry with a car park open 8am-8pm year-round; donations welcomed.
- →Best for birdsong in late April and May; come at dusk in early summer for nightjars.
- →It's a drive or cycle from the old town, not a walk; there's no direct bus link into the reserve itself.
Best Season
More Outdoors Activities
Dane John Gardens
A landscaped park on a Roman-era burial mound topped by a Norman fortress site, laid out as pleasure gardens from 1790. Free, with a monument-topped mound to climb.
Westgate Gardens
Riverside gardens just outside the Westgate, with mature trees and level paths along the Stour. A quiet, free counterpoint to the busy High Street.