Bluebells in Ashridge

When I think bluebells, I think Austin, Texas, which I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting. So when I heard that bluebells are particularly prevalent here I wanted to see them for myself. Ashridge Estate is a huge stretch of woodland on the border of two counties and I have wanted to visit it to see a tree where some American soldiers carved their names in 1944 while stationed close by. The film The Dirty Dozen was also filmed here. I was afraid this weekend I might be too late to see the bluebells, but without a map I stumbled upon a secluded patch in a beautiful section of wood. I don’t think my pictures do it justice. From a distance they looked like a purple mist covering the bottom of the trees. Because there was no one around, I sat down in a clear patch among them and enjoyed the quiet and the beauty.

I didn’t see another soul until I was close to my car. A group of four with some professional looking photography equipment stopped me and asked me if I could point them in the right direction to see the bluebells. I was tempted to give them my business card and ask them to email me any good pictures they took, but didn’t think about it until I’d gotten back to the car.

P.S. I'll have to go back to search for the tree.