Westonbirt Arboretum Autumn Colours
Posted: 2010-10-29
Westonbirt Arboretum, near the historic Cotswold market town of Tetbury, is one of the most popular places in the UK for seeing autumn colours. We made a trek to Westonbirt yesterday, optimistically hoping that the drizzle enveloping our village in the north Cotswolds was not going to follow us south. Thankfully, it didn't, and we had the pleasure of enjoying Westonbirt's amazing Fall colours in relative comfort.
The arboretum is split into two sections, the smaller, and more crowded section near the visitor centre lies west of the main Tetbury road, and the other, less crowded section lies across the road to the east. Either area is enjoyable, but there's a tradeoff to consider; the main area near the visitor centre can be amazingly crowded, especially in October, and especially during half term week (like it was yesterday).
That means that the most popular areas near the visitor centre can be swamped with people, and the most easily reached areas of spectacular colour can be a real 'mosh pit' of camera-wielding visitors all trying to photograph the same set of maple trees! A better bet is to cross the road to the larger and relatively more remote area to the east. You will have to walk further - give yourself a good 2 hours to really experience the walk - but you will find it much more peaceful.
Another thing to mention is that the ground can get extremely muddy, due to the sheer number of visitors. And I do mean 'extremely' muddy. So please, please wear good hiking boots or even wellies to avoid slipping and sliding around like a hippo in a mud bath.
With all those caveats out of the way, let me just say that Westonbirt is a delight in Autumn. The colours are simply wonderful; do bring a camera, and enjoy one of the best arboretums in the country.
Resources:
Westonbirt Arboretum official website
Westonbirt - our article
Westonbirt Photo Gallery - a taster of autumn colours
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