Yearning for a short break with a beautiful autumn walk? To toast autumn’s arrival on September 23rd, our team have put together six of our favourite autumn walks for drinking in the season’s most beautiful sights.
Sure to ‘colour you happy’, all our walks are within easy reach of our holiday cottages. So pack those boots, dig out your hat and scarf and get ready to crunch some crispy leaves!
1. Autumn wildlife walks at the Cotswold Water Park
The Cotswold Water Park is a great choice for autumn walks, being home to a wide variety of resident and wintering birds as well as a range of other wildlife. The fantastic colours of the autumn trees are well worth the trip alone! With more than 150 lakes, there is plenty of choice for walkers, along with great wildlife. The Cotswold Water Park provide walking and cycling maps, available free from the Gateway Visitor Centre.
Stay at: Our stunning Lake Lodges at the Cotswold Water Park.
Carding Mill Valley in October by Brian Smithson
2. The Pipe Walk, Carding Mill Valley, Shropshire
At this time of year, if you take the Pipe Walk at Carding Mill Valley you’ll be amazed by the gleaming blues, golds and greens. This moderate 1.5 mile autumn walk takes about an hour and has a strong focus on water, following the stream up to the sapphire-blue reservoir and finishing at Lightspout waterfall.
Explore Carding Mill Valley and The Long Mynd - www.nationaltrust.org.uk/carding-mill-valley-and-the-long-mynd
Stay at: The Oaks, 8 minutes’ drive away.
Westonbirt Arboretum by Peter Allen
3. Silk Wood trail, Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire
You’ll be blown away at Westonbirt as over 15,000 trees put on one of the world’s most spectacular autumn shows - perfect for autumn walks! Take a 1.6 mile easy stroll along the Silk Wood trail where you can admire the canopy of colour up close on the Treetop Walkway and then through Silk Wood itself to witness the magnificent collection of Japanese maples ablaze in reds, oranges and yellows.
Explore Westonbirt, The National Arboretum - www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt
Stay at: Our Cotswold Lake Lodges or Cottages near Bristol.
Thetford Forest by Andrew Stawarz
4. Thetford Forest Trails, Norfolk
Thetford Forest is well known for being the UK’s largest lowland pine forest, but there are vast numbers of deciduous trees here too and this autumn you’ll see a fabulous canopy of oranges, golds and browns everywhere you look! There are 26 autumn walks around the forest to enjoy and mountain biking is also a popular way to explore the golden landscape.
Explore Thetford Forest - www.forestry.gov.uk/thetfordforestpark
Stay at: Vicarage House & Pool House, sleeps 9 – 15, just a few minutes’ walk from the forest. Head out on foot or use the plethora of adult and children’s bikes provided for guests to make it a special day out.
5. Batsford Arboretum, Cotswolds
Gloucestershire’s second arboretum is ablaze with autumn colour, with centre stage taken by the maples and cherries in every hue from flame reds to salmon pinks and sunshine yellows and the liquidambars with their multi-coloured leaves from deep purple to pale gold. Lose yourself in 56 acres of wild garden on a series of good footpaths and explore hidden glades, paths and streams.
Explore Batsford Arboretum - www.batsarb.co.uk
Stay at: Our Cotswold holiday cottages.
SW Coast Path approaching Wheal Coates at St Agnes
6. St Agnes Beacon and Wheal Coates Walk
This moderate 3 mile autumn walk starts at St Agnes Head. There is a gentle climb to the top of St Agnes Beacon, a prominent landmark with outstanding views and then returns via some of Cornwall's most photographed engine houses at Wheal Coates, perched on the cliff edge. A lot of this walk is through areas of open heathland offering a feast of colour and aroma. In autumn, the rust-coloured bracken bristles with vivid gorse and banks of heather.
Stay at: Rosevean House in St Agnes.
Published on Sunday 24th September 2023 by Linnie Clements
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