Hodgemoor Woods near Amersham, Buckinghamshire is one of those places that I get in the car afterwards and wonder how I’ve never been to visit & review before! How did I miss it? In fact, despite driving past this place approximately 1,000,000 times before and seeing the picnic sign I wouldn’t have visited today if it wasn’t for an article in the Times I probably wouldn’t have gone today!
Bluebells at Hodgemoor Woods
The reason why The Times wrote the article is to name Hodgemoor Woods as the number 1 place in the UK to see bluebells. During my visit I didn’t see a display quite as amazing as the one in their photograph in one place. I think there’s a few reasons for that. 1) They’re professional photographers and I’m just me. 2) The ferns have grown up quite a lot in the best spot that I found which might have “spoilt” it 3) I may very well have been in the wrong place. With all of that said the bluebells that I did get to see were stunning, and there were so many of them!
There are plenty of places that are good to spot the bluebells throughout the woods. I’ve marked where I think the best spots were on this map. You can download the map (without my scribbles) from the Hodgemoor Woods website.
Walking around the woods
Speaking of maps, I had downloaded the Hodgemoor Woods walking map before I went and, if I’m honest, I didn’t find it particularly helpful. I’m good at reading maps but I did get a bit lost at times. OK, so the first time was actually my fault. I thought I’d left the car park on one route and it wasn’t until I was on the other side of the woods (having moaned how the map didn’t match the footpaths) that I realised I’d actually started on a different path. But, even when I was looking at the right paths it misses out a lot. There is less than minimal signage so it was more of a wander and hope really. I’d end up somewhere that looked identifiable and I’d navigate from there until it didn’t match again. All part of the adventure!
The woods are only 250 acres, which is comparatively small. It only took me about half an hour to walk through the middle. Albeit this was the short side of a rectangle, rather than the long one if that makes sense?
Part woodland, part filmset
To say that Hogemoor Woods is stunning would actually be something of an understatement. It’s absolutely beautiful. I swear it’s straight out of Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. And, because of the lack of facilities, it’s significantly quieter than a lot of other woodlands. I swear I saw more deer and assorted wildlife than people. Something that definitely couldn’t be said of somewhere like Wendover Woods!
Ooh, and if you go at the right time of year there is tons of wild garlic everywhere as well. The smell is so strong, and the flowers are no pretty, it’s wonderful. Just FYI – it’s not illegal to pick the leaves of wild garlic but it is illegal to dig it up so don’t do that!
Drain or stream
As I was wondering around I stumbled across this pretty little stream. I’m not 100% sure if it’s a permanent stream, and the map says it’s a drain, but the kids would have loved playing here if they’d been with me. We’ve had so much rain for the past 1,000 months it’s hard to know what’s a permanent water feature and what’s not! I guess I’ll just have to come back in the summer and see if it’s still there.
This review of Hodgemoor Woods is based on our experiences at the time of our visit. Things can change over time, including the facilities available. If you have any specific requirements such as access it’s always best to check with the site directly before visiting. If anything I’ve said in this review is no longer accurate then please do let me know. Thank you.
Our Hodgemoor Woods review
Hodgemoor Woods is proper, unspoilt woodland. If you want to get away from everything (except the sound of planes as you’re under the flight path) then this is a good place to start! Obviously the bluebells at Hodgemoor Woods make spring a great time to visit, but I reckon it’s stunning all year ’round.
In terms of accessibility, I personally wouldn’t want to do large parts of the footpaths with a pushchair, especially in the autumn or winter. It’s muddy as hell and uneven. You’d be better on the bridle paths generally, although not all of those were great. There certainly isn’t an accessible path here.
Admission cost
Free
Parking / How to get there
Parking – Small, free car park
Address – Bottrells Lane, Seer Green, Amersham, Buckinghamshire. HP9 2RQ
Toilets
None
Food
None
What else is there to do nearby?
Amersham Museum is nearby, as is Chiltern Open Air Museum. You can find some lovely walks such as the Shardeloes Lake, Roald Dahl Countryside Walk. Or check out other small woodlands such as Angling Spring Woods or Penn Woods.
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Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
