Yes, it will be cold, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking a fall vacation. Soon the leaves will glow in gold and copper colors, a spectacle not to be missed.
The Wildlife Trust’s book Wildlife Walks: Get Back to Nature at More Than 475 Of The UK’s Best Wild Places offers what the (rather long) title says.
Here are some of the best hiking trails for this rewarding time of year.
WONDERFUL STAFF
Here we reveal some of the best places in the UK for an autumn walk (file image)
The Roaches, on the edge of the Peak District National Park, have high cliffs, wide open moors and heather-covered hills
The Roaches is a beautiful 975 hectare landscape on the edge of the Peak District National Park, popular with climbers and walkers.
High rock faces, vast moors and heather-covered hills offer beautiful panoramic views. There are protected forests at the less visited northern end. Spot the flying buzzards and capercaillie.
How long? two o’clock.
How to get there: Leek, Staffordshire, ST13 8UA (staffs-wildlife.org.uk).
Where to sleep: Double rooms from £104 bed and breakfast at the charming nearby spa hotel Three Horseshoes (3shoesinn.co.uk).
COLORFUL WESTLAND
Goblin Combe in Avon is home to a beautiful mix of windswept grassland above a wet, wooded gorge carved into the limestone by Ice Age snowmelt.
Autumn gentian and turmeric bring color to the meadows, and the forest hides rarities such as moonwort and dormice, accompanied by masses of mushrooms in autumn. Note the usual ink caps, oily wax caps, white saddle and purple hood.
How long? 2-3 hours.
How to get there: Cleeve Hill Road, Cleeve, Avon, BS49 4PH (avonwildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to sleep: Double rooms in the comfortable nearby Congresbury Arms from £88 B&B (congresburyarms.co.uk).
KESTROLLS IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE
With over 60 acres of cliffs, disused quarries, woodlands, salt marshes and the spectacular limestone Wye Gorge, Lancaut in Gloucestershire is an autumn delight. There are around 350 species of plants, including winter linden trees, rare thrushes, oaks, maples and yews. Expect to see pansies, little calamantas, red valerian and the glossy crane, as well as ospreys, crows and kestrels.
How long? two o’clock.
How to get there: Lancaut Lane, Gloucestershire, NP16 7JB (gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk).
Where to sleep: Double rooms from £76 at the newly refurbished Two Rivers Inn in Chepstow (marstonsinns.co.uk).
LONDON SURPRISE
Above is a ruined Victorian villa in Sydenham Hill Wood, a woodland where old oaks and hornbeams mingle with newer planted trees
View of woodcutters in Sydenham Hill Wood (file image)
Sydenham Hill Wood in south London is part of the largest remaining part of the ancient Great North Wood.
Old oaks and hornbeams mingle with newly planted trees, brown owls nest in tree hollows, coconuts bounce between the branches and roe deer thrive in the decaying pieces of wood. There are very rare mushrooms at this time of year. Watch the woodcutters.
How long? 1 hour.
How to get there: Enter via Crescent Wood Road or Dulwich Wood, London, SE26 (wildlondon.org.uk).
Where to sleep: Double rooms at the Crown and Greyhound in Dulwich from £118 (innkeeperscollection.co.uk).
BEAVER IN CHESHIRE
The Nunsmere Hall Hotel (pictured) is a good base for exploring Hatchmere Nature Reserve in Cheshire
The lakes and moors at Hatchmere Nature Reserve in Cheshire were formed by glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age.
The reserve is home to Cheshire’s first pair of beavers after 400 years of local extinction. These incredible mammals create diverse wetlands by digging and damming canals, while the wetlands in turn provide tremendous benefits to other wildlife. You might catch a glimpse of it at dusk.
How long? two o’clock.
How to get there: Delamere Road, Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6 6NY (cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to sleep: Double rooms at Nunsmere Hall Hotel, a country hotel, from £115 B&B (nunsmere.co.uk).
NOTHING WITH MUCH
Rainworth Heath is one of the last remaining heathlands in Nottinghamshire. It is dotted with peat pools lined with peat moss. Vipers can sometimes be seen in holes under gorse bushes.
The Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust restores moorland, monitors ferns and grazes Hebrides sheep.
How long? two o’clock.
How to get there: From the village of Rainworth, Nottinghamshire, NG21 0HR (nottinghamshirewildlife.org).
Where to sleep: Double rooms from £85 at the charming Rainworth Lodge (rainworthlodge.co.uk).
KENTIAN WILD
The nearly 1,000-year-old West Blean and Thornden Woods in Kent have some non-native conifers being removed by wildlife trusts that are regenerating the forest through felling: a traditional management technique ideal for sensitive wildlife.
How long? two o’clock.
How to get there: Thornden Wood Road, Kent, CT6 7NZ (kentwildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to sleep: Double rooms at the modern Hampton by Hilton Canterbury, five miles south, from £86 (hilton.com).
LIVING WORKS
Expect spectacular colors at Piper’s Hill and Dodderhill Commons in Worcestershire
Piper’s Hill and Dodderhill Commons in Worcestershire are home to over 240 ancient trees, some of which are hundreds of years old. These venerable giants of beech, sweet chestnut and oak bring the reserve to life in autumn, with spectacular colors sweeping through the forest and mushrooms waiting to catch your eye.
Tits, trees and woodpeckers love the old trees.
How long? 45 minutes.
How to get there: Near Hanbury on the B4091, Worcestershire, B60 4AS (worcswildlifetrust.co.uk).
Where to sleep: Double rooms at nearby The Vernon public house from £75 (vernonhanbury.co.uk).
Red kites in wilting
Look out for red kites soaring over Coombe Bissett Down, Wiltshire (above).
If you like to combine your nature walks with local history, you’ll love Coombe Bissett Down in Wiltshire. On the steep slopes of the Coombe are medieval terraces called strip lynchings, where artefacts from the Iron Age and Roman periods have been found. Flocks of linnets and mistletoe can be seen in the thickets. There will be many red kites flying overhead.
How long? 3 hours.
How to get there: At Coombe Bissett, take the Homington exit and then turn right onto Pennings Drove (wiltshirewildlife.org).
Where to sleep: Double rooms from £120 B&B at the Saw Mill Hotel on the edge of Salisbury, four miles north (oldmillsalisbury.co.uk).
HANDS VIEWS
Set traps on a walk through St Catherine’s Hill Nature Reserve in Hampshire (above).
A dramatic climb up a wooden staircase at St Catherine’s Hill Nature Reserve in Hampshire reveals stunning views over Winchester and the floodplains of the Itchen Valley.
On the summit you will discover the earthworks of an Iron Age fortress, the buried ruins of a Norman chapel and a beech forest where green woodpeckers cackle. Kestrels hunt in the valley below.
How long? 2-3 hours.
How to get there: Garnier Road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 9PA (hiwwt.org.uk).
Where to sleep: Doubles from £148 B&B at the cozy and eclectic Wykeham Arms in Winchester (wykehamarmswinchester.co.uk).
QUIET IN SHROPSHIRE
Rhos Fiddle sits on the border between England and Wales – a moorland hill with big skies and is one of the most peaceful places in Shropshire.
It is an ancient wilderness surrounded by green agricultural pastures. The marshy ponds and surrounding wet moors attract wading birds such as snipe. Peat moss, cotton grass and sphagnum moss thrive in the wetter areas.
How long? 1 hour.
How to get there: Newcastle upon Clun, Shropshire, SY7 8QT (shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to sleep: Double rooms from £71 at the traditional White Horse Inn in Clun (whitehorseclun.com).
BEAUTIFUL LIMESTONE
Llanymynech Rocks in Montgomeryshire, on the border between England and Wales, is a spectacular limestone formation.
From the early 19th century until the end of the First World War, the site was a quarry; Since then, nature has crept in. Hawks and peregrine falcons raise their families on the old quarry site.
How long? two o’clock.
How to get there: Underhill Lane, Llanymynech, SY10 9RB (shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to sleep: Double room in the elegant Penyvoel Hall Hotel, half a mile away, £121 B&B (penyvoelhall.com).
EAGLE IN OWN
The Isle of Eigg in Scotland is home to an abundance of wildlife, including golden eagles, buzzards and crows
The Isle of Eigg in Scotland is home to an exceptional nature reserve where undeveloped farmland and native woodland meet moorland and raised heath.
Above the trees, golden eagles, buzzards and crows patrol their lofty kingdoms. Back on solid ground, cuckoos, cuckoos, whitethroats and willow warblers fill the air with heartbreaking song.
How long? From 1-4 hours.
How to get there: Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry from Mallaig (scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk).
Where to sleep: Double rooms at the charming Arisaig Hotel on the Isle of Eigg from £178 B&B (arisaighotel.co.uk).
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
