The ancient Ankerwycke yew tree. Photograph: Gillian Pullinger/Alamy
An short easy walk that’s ideal for children. On the opposite side of the Thames to Magna Carta-minded Runnymede, these ancient woods are so sheltered that a 2,500-year-old yew, one of Britain’s oldest trees, is still going strong, while Victorians later accessorised the ruins of a Benedictine priory with carpets of snowdrops. Explore the meadows around Ankerwycke and there are riverbank daffodils, blackthorn blossom, red campion and bluebells, swans and boats.
Rigsby’s Wood, Lincolnshire
On the edge of Lincolnshire’s gentle green wolds near Alford, spring sees these woods become an absurdly beautiful carpet of bluebells. Covering 15 hectares, it’s a hidden joy reached by a small track from the Haugh Road, with seriously ancient trees, especially in the Pingle area, wood anemone and early-purple orchids to explore, plus trees that harbour tawny owls, great spotted woodpeckers and warblers. Gentle and g