Enjoy autumn in all its glory at Queenswood Country Park & Arboretum this half-term. The Country Park in the heart of Herefordshire covers over 170 acres of woodland and offers both quiet spaces to enjoy autumn’s beauty and wildlife and family fun with new Pumpkin and Gruffalo Trails.
Queenswood is famed for its autumn colours as through October and November the trees in the 47-acre Arboretum within the Country Park take on shades from bright reds and warm golds to rich burgundies. The Autumn Garden is the star of the show now with a collection of Japanese maples as well as rowans, tupelos and liquidamber. There is much more to discover, however: the dark, cathedral-like Redwood Grove grows more imposing in the autumn dusk, the orchard sparkles with ripening fruits while the Commemorative Woodland offers a contemplative space amidst the falling leaves.
A free Autumn Tree Trail is available from the Visitor Centre or downloaded from the Queenswood website.
The Arboretum is surrounded by a further 123 acres of native woodland, offering more a more subtle but equally captivating autumn experience. This wider woodland offers a quiet retreat even when the heart of the site is busy with visitors and is a haven for both people and wildlife.
Reserve Officer, Paul Ratcliffe advises: “Look out for the purple flowers of devil’s bit scabious which are quite prominent now and provide an important late nectar source. Fallow deer tend to be more active in autumn as they have love on their minds! There’s also lots of woodland fungi and, as well as the autumn colour of trees, there are lots of colourful berries: rose hips on wild rose, haws on hawthorn, sole on blackthorn, red berries on Guelder rose, lots of different colour of berries on the many Rowan varieties.”
The site is signed up to the Visit England ‘We’re Good to Go’ scheme, and facilities have been adapted where necessary to operate in line with current government guidelines.