Maleficent’s Enchanted forest on our doorstep | Ashridge Estate, Hertfordshire
Free | Buggy friendly | Mobility scooters available | Facilities on site | National Trust
Car Park - Moneybury Hill, Ringshall, Near Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 1LT
We love Ashridge! Not only because it’s 15 minutes drive from our home and less than an hour drive from London. This magnificent Forest is huge and beautiful! We’ve been visiting Ashride for pretty much 15 years now and we still haven’t discovered everything this place has to offer.
Did you know that Ashridge Woodland with its otherworldly trees and abundance of wildlife, provided the real location for the Enchanted Forest, where Maleficent, played by Angelina Jolie lives? Now you do :) More info here
Ashridge Estate is a National Trust run estate with over 5000 acres and 80 miles of footpaths and bridleways to explore. Expect scenic rolling hills and ancient woodlands in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire.On the estate apart from the ancient woodland you will find a historic Ashridge House. Its’ history dates back over 700 years with significant residents such as King Henry VIII, a wartime hospital and most recently, a world-renowned business school. More about this place in a very near future!
I remember very well the first time we visited this place. It was a late autumn afternoon as we drove into car park by the monument and we were greeted by hundreds of deer standing in the middle of the road! Don’t worry they quickly ran off into the woods when they saw us. Since then, every time we are in Ashridge we almost always see a deer or two - usually tens of them. I was not surprised to find out that HenryVIII used to have his hunting mansion there the forest was used as his hunting grounds.
But back to the future now. It’s May(22’) and it’s a bluebell time. I love Ashridge even more during this time. The smell of these flowers is just amazing (if you’re not allergic to the of course). I decided to take my dog Buster for a midday stroll along the Bluebell Trail. We stopped at the monument car park, which is huge by the way. It’s free, but you can pay a suggested donation of £2 if you wish. During weekends it can get very busy, but saying that it always gives me a campsite vibe with people having picnics, playing catch with their kids and just enjoying themselves.
On site you will find a cafe, second-hand book shop, visitors centre and a shop offering a varieties of local artisan goods and National Trust Favourites. There are also toilets on site. I must say that I had a late at the coffee shop which was kindly donated to me by my friend Teela who used buymeacofee badge on my site. My first ever “buymeacoffee” coffee , eeekkk! Thank you J
As I was passing the visitor centre I spotted a little golf buggy driving pass me, it stopped at a little barn. I quickly found out that you can hire one for FREE if you have impaired mobility. It’s run by National Trust Volunteers and I think it’s amazing! They are open every day from 4 April – 1 November from 12-4pm weather permitting). They have single-seater scooters and two-seater golf buggies available. Vehicles can be borrowed up to an hour. Book in advance to avoid disappointment – Call 01442851227.
They have two waymarked routes from the Visitor Centre where you can walk through the woodland to see stunning displays of bluebells. The walk is very easy and pleasant. I’d say it’s buggy friendly too as long if you stick to the main path. Purple trail sings are very easy to spot. You can’t miss the bluebells anyway, if you can’t see them, you can smell them.
Bluebells did not disappoint this year. They were everywhere. I ended up walking for about two hours, discovered some lovely cottages I have never seen before and managed to twist my ankle a little bit. Reminder not wear convers on my walks ever again. Here are some photos from my lovely stroll. As always a mixture of iphone and fujifilm x100s photos.
