Day 47: Bluebells, Broom and Bees on a May Day walk

One of the joys of walking so frequently in the Forest of Dean has been seeing the succession of Spring flowers come and go.  Primroses and celandines have run their course and the buttercups are beginning to fade. In their place bluebells have been appearing, and in the last week have really sprung to life. I took this first photo just over a week ago –  my first sight this year of a really impressive carpet of bluebells.

The middle of last week saw some heavy rain that seemed to freshen up the flowers and enrich their colours still more, so when I took a 4 mile walk on May Day through Lydney Park and Norchard Wood, I was in for a real treat.

First, though, a view over the fields in the direction of Lydney Park Gardens.

Around this time of year Lord Bathurst would normally open his gardens to the public, allowing us all to see his magnificent azaleas and rhododendrons.  Unless the lock-down restrictions are relaxed soon, I fear that the gardens will remain closed this year, so here are a couple of photos from my visit in 2018.

Back to the May Day walk, and part of the Lydney Park estate that has a public footpath running through it, so remains open.

Crossing the main Lydney - Bream road brought me into Norchard Wood, where bluebells gradually gave way to great splashes of vivid yellow broom.

At the bottom of the hill lies Norchard railway station, where the Dean Forest railway slumbers. The lock-down is seriously damaging their finances, as it is for the railway love of my life, the Lynton & Barnstaple. Both preservation societies have issued heartfelt appeals for donations.  I do hope that they're able to recover.

Now where were we?  Ah yes, I remember – Bluebells, Broom and ....

Obligingly, this little creature settled on a dandelion at Middle Forge.  I was still in the grounds of Lydney Park Estate, and his lordship is clearly keen to discourage exploration of the old ruins.

However, the well-worn footpath beyond this notice testifies to the fact that few people seem to heed the warning. True, the stonework of the old forge is in a parlous state and I certainly wouldn't risk going up there, but the approach is safe enough.  In truth, this is one of my regular haunts and I can rarely resist stopping to take a photo or two.