7 places to find bluebells in Kent this spring

Kent’s many acres of ancient woodland make it the perfect place to find beautiful bluebells.

It’s that time of year when these familiar bell-shaped perennials return to our countryside. They’ll be dotted all over the county over the next month or so but, if you want to know where to start, here’s some sure-fire spots to find them…

BEDGEBURY NATIONAL PINETUM AND FOREST, Goudhurst

This breathtaking forest will be covered by a carpet of blue and violet this spring. The routes that lead visitors through the woodland, conifer conservation project and around the lake will take you past colourful patches of bluebells while you also admire the park’s 12,000-strong collection of conifers and specimen trees.

Details: Open daily from 8am to 8pm at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest on Lady Oak Lane in Goudhurst

EMMETTS GARDEN, near Sevenoaks

The woodlands surrounding this Edwardian estate are bursting with thousands of native bluebells at this time of year. Visitors to the National Trust site can also look out for 80 species of rhododendron, the vibrant tulip meadow and the red and pink cherry blossom trees scattered around the spring gardens.

Details: Open daily from 10am to 5pm at Emmetts Garden on Emmetts Lane in Ide Hill near Sevenoaks. Entry costs £14 for adults and £7 for children, or free with a National Trust membership.

HOLE PARK, near Cranbrook

The annual Bluebell Spectacular returns to Hole Park’s 16-acre gardens between April and May. The grounds will be covered with native bluebells for around four weeks and you can keep an eye on the website’s ‘bluebell barometer’ to see when the flowers will be at their best. While you’re there, you can also take in spring delights such as pink magnolia, cherry blossom, daffodils, tulips and orchids.

Details: Open daily from 11am to 6pm at Hole Park on Benenden Road in Rolvenden, near Cranbrook. Entry costs £12.50 for adults and £2.50 for children.

IGHTHAM MOTE, near Sevenoaks

The ancient woodland at Ightham Mote, a medieval moated manor house owned by the National Trust, will be home to around 15 acres of bluebell-covered ground as we move towards mid-April. You can also spot bluebells in Scathes Wood, which runs alongside the driveway as you enter the estate.

Details: Open daily from 11am to 5pm at Ightham Mote on Mote Road in Ivy Hatch, near Sevenoaks. Entry costs £18 for adults and £9 for children, or free with a National Trust membership.

PENSHURST PLACE, near Tonbridge

The beautiful gardens at Penshurst Place, a historic stately home and birthplace of Elizabethan poets Mary and Philip Sidney, are the perfect place to soak up the sun during the warmer months. The gardens will be filled with not only bluebells but also daffodils, tulips, magnolia, apple and pear trees, roses and herbaceous flowers. On Sunday, April 13 there is also a guided walk that takes you through the colourful spring gardens, followed by a two-course lunch.

Details: Open daily from 10am to 5pm in Penshurst, near Tonbridge. Entry costs £16 for adults and £9 for children.

TROSLEY COUNTRY PARK, Gravesend

This country park is known for its bluebell displays as we move towards the spring and summer. If you venture into the woodland, that’s where you’ll find most of these violet-blue flowers but, on your walk through the park, you can also see wild orchids and the birds and butterflies that inhabit the area.

Details: Open daily from 9am to dusk at Trosley Country Park on Waterlow Road in Vigo Village, near Gravesend

WALMER CASTLE, near Deal

Spring is a brilliant time of year to visit the brightly-coloured gardens around Walmer Castle. There are splashes of yellow from the eranthus hymalis in the Queen Mother’s Garden, self-seeding fritillaria meleagris in the Oval Lawn and hellebores in the Woodland Garden. If you visit the Paddock, the swathes of daffodils from earlier in the year will slowly be replaced by a sea of bluebells.

Details: Open daily from 10am to 5pm at Walmer Castle on Kingsdown Road in Walmer, near Deal. Entry starts from £13.10 for adults and £8.10 for children, or free with an English Heritage membership.

If you want to see even more bluebells this spring, you can sign up for the sponsored bluebell walk, hosted by the Heart of Kent Hospice.

This charity fundraiser takes place on Sunday, May 4 and takes participants on a six-mile walk from Glebe Field in Maidstone through the North Downs woodland where you can admire the natural spring flowers. There’s also a one-mile route available for families.