Ashridge

Dockey Wood on the Ashridge Estate, Hertfordshire The National Trust calls Dockey Wood the best place for bluebells on Ashridge, and on a good day the carpet runs unbroken under the trees. Flowering starts in mid-April and usually peaks in late April and early May. Its popularity brings rules: on peak weekends non-members pay a small entry fee, and the wood's own parking lot holds only 40 cars. The better approach is the waymarked route from the Visitor Centre on Monument Drive, about 1.6 miles and 40 minutes, with steep, unsurfaced stretches that are hard going with a stroller. Badger trails cross the bluebells, so keep to the main paths.