At the end of the road, a path through the palace gates leads you over cobblestones, past a golden sandstone chapel and on into the deep woods. A choir of spring birds fills the air with bursts and waves of song, and high overhead the soft newborn leaves flutter in a sun warmed breeze. If you follow the path onwards, it will lead you through the trees, deeper and deeper into the ancient woodland. Here in the deep heart of the woods, bluebells burst like ocean waves across the earth floor.
They rise miraculous, like asparagus spears, piercing the soft dark skin of the earth. Sunlight peels the bells open and paints them vivid blue, and their sweet scent swirls in clouds into the still air. Sitting here among the bluebells, in the dappled shade of the trees feels like falling into a scented dream. This scene is as ancient as our ancestors, yet repeats fresh and entrancing each year, for just a few short weeks in Spring.
No visit to the bluebell woods is ever the same. Each day new flowers will have burst open, different bird tunes wave through the air, and the light and warmth shifts hour by hour. Each moment begs to be noticed, to be drunk in and savoured, before it passes into the next. To be truly alive, to have your senses wide open, is easy in this timeless beautiful space. Waves of fresh inspiration roll through these woods, and if you let them they will roll through your mind too. Little bells of creative delight, ringing out from the ancient heart of the forest. Can you hear their tune, and their message to surrender to your wild creative passions?
One of the markers of ancient woodland, there are many places across the UK where you can enjoy the bluebells. These photos were taken in Dalkeith Country Park, one of our regular dog walks. Click the link to find out where else you can enjoy the bluebell woods.
breathofgreenair 
Now this is a spot to where I’d love to bring a blanket and book and read(I mean snooze the afternoon away).
It would be the perfect spot! There is something quite soporific about the sweet scent of blue bells mixed with bird song 🙂
I would just LOVE to wander through those woods. Looking forward to more wildflowers as spring progresses here. Your shots remind me of one of my flickr contact’s – https://www.flickr.com/photos/jaketurner92/13929205310/
Beautiful!
Heather it really is a beautiful tranquil place to wander and dream. Delighted you enjoyed my images 🙂
All beautiful, but the last photo is my favorite! Can’t believe how they cover the entire forest floor like a lush blue carpet 🙂
Fabulous Seonaid ! You’ve really captured their very essence …
I found my bluebell wood today 🙂
So beautiful. There’s a bluebell wood not too far from me, I’m going to take the toddler…see what your post did 😉 x
I’m sure you’ll find it enchanting and inspiring Deena…..what a wonderful place to take a toddler 🙂
Ahhh … such a beautiful place. I’ve taken just the right few minutes out of the day to look at your wonderful photos. They convey such a feeling of warmth and comfort, somehow. What a contrast to my part of the world today. We have a large, wet, weather front passing through and as I compose this comment I’m looking out at a wet and very soggy world. We had to relight the woodstoves to keep us warm. Brrrrr. D
We have been blessed with a wonderfully warm and sunny spring this year, however its all due to change tomorrow for the next few days….rain and chills….so the pictures will keep me going too as we shiver in the rain 🙂
Beautiful imagery, and images. Love.
Thanks Kellie, I get so torn between spending time in my garden and walking in the woods at this time of year….the bluebell woods are winning every time at the moment!
The sun on those woods and the bluebells is so warm and inviting. Lovely!
The warmth and light does leave me wanting to shed a few layers, and I always feel carefree wandering among the flowers and the dappled light 🙂
Words so lucid! As if creating a visually rich picture!! Reality might leave us speechless, though.
The reality does leave me grinning wildly, and with just a few words like “so pretty”, and “gorgeous” escaping repeatedly from my lips….the rest of the words come later 🙂
Yes, one can understand the feeling.
Wish to share this post with you:
http://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/we-the-miracle/
I loved the lyrical beauty of your posts as it describes the pictures so well. Thank you. The U.K., Scotland, and Wales have such beautiful areas. I did love traveling there.
Thank you, and I can only agree about the beauty of this land. Inspiration comes easily with all this lush green growth around. When did you visit?
the images were inspiring themselves, the words made it even more so. beautiful.
Thank you, I’m delighted you enjoyed the bluebell woods, and my words 🙂
Oh my, that’s really pretty, and bring back fond memories of a trip one weekend in US 🙂
There really is nothing as pretty as a flower filled wood in spring 🙂
Mother Nature showing off her bounteous beauty – how great is she. And how fortunate to be able to witness! Only 2nd hand on my side – but thank you for sharing. I enjoy vicarious pleasures.
Garden of Eden Blog
Well I’m delighted to share the beautiful generous spring bounty….the woods are just so pretty at the moment. So glad you enjoyed the sight 🙂
Reblogged this on The English Professor at Large and commented:
I want to share this magical woodland with you. Thanks to breathofgreenair for giving me permission to do so. Take a walk into faery land.
Do I have your permission to re-blog this so that I may not only have it at my fingertips to raise my spirits, but also to share the magic with others?
Of course, I’m delighted you enjoyed it enough to want to share it further 🙂
Breathtaking, Seonaid! Spring is the most wonderful time of the year!
Isn’t it just….so pretty
A world famous sight I would love to see in reality. Until then, thanks for the pictures!
My pleasure….and are they really world famous? Wow!
The bluebells of Scotland is a well known phrase! From Kenneth McKellar to NT to novels of that name to numerous references by travellers.
Well there you go….I love the idea that these flower filled woods are whispered about around the globe 🙂
Breathtakingly beautiful!
And those wonderful breaths are infused with the sweet dream inducing perfume of the bluebells…..I grin like a crazy lady when I’m wandering among the flowers
What beautiful images and words, Seonaid. Your interpretation of nature is truly inspiring. 🙂 🙂
Sharon what an uplifting comment, thank you. I’m delighted you enjoy my weaving of words and images….all from natures incredible studio 🙂
What a magical sight.
It’s very magical Fi, and only here for a few weeks.
There are few more wonderful sights than a bluebell wood!
I totally agree Gilly…..it’s hard to put into words….beautiful just keeps springing to mind, and I have a kind of crazy grin as I wander among the sun dappled bluebells 🙂
Beautiful sight! Lovely, delightful flowers!
It really is Amy, stunningly beautiful….it would be hard to dream anything better than nature has grown here 🙂
I am lost among the bluebells of the forest, charmed by their magic and grateful to you for this most beautiful post. Thank you.
Well it’s a beautiful place to be lost, and the magical bells weave all sorts of pretty spells and dreams 🙂
What a special place this must be. It must make your spirits soar.
It certainly makes the spirit soar…..it’s just so beautiful that it’s hard to put into words…:-)
Lovely. Ancient woodlands are such amazing and sacred places! Thank you.
There is definitely a sacred feel to them….an eternal stillness 🙂
As usual, you take me with you, bringing back fond memories. Truly, there is nothing like a bluebell wood. Thank you so much for sharing the beauty you found.
My pleasure Rachael, what lovely memories to have stored away. It’s a very special treat to be in the middle of all that scent and colour…..
Wow, amazing and deliciously delicate. The way you describe these little fragrant bluebells is so full of love. 🙂
It’s such an incredible place to visit….it refreshes at a truly deep level Rosa 🙂
Such a beautiful sight to see these flowers in one spot.
It’s really beautiful, like a deep lush carpet delighting the eye Colline
This post was so magically peaceful for me. I am in a nerve wracking process of looking for smaller housing, and this sense of utter beauty and peace was exactly what I needed. I will hold these images in my heart as I walk forward now. Beannachdan.
I’m delighted to have helped to soothe your frayed nerves. Happy house hunting 🙂
remarkably lovely, thanks for your rich description that transports me there in sound and senses Seonaid, through so many years of our evolution we enjoyed these spring delights, so that now even when they are distant they chime in us with certain resonance 🙂
It’s lovely to have these cyclic gifts from nature stored away in our memories, and I’m delighted to have stirred those memories for you 🙂