Autumn is back, bringing with it a dazzling patchwork of foliage. From fiery-red maple leaves to coppery-bronze beech trees, it won't be long until the UK's forests begin to change colour.
This year, the wet spring and cooler-than-average summer could mean autumn leaf displays last even longer than usual, according to the National Trust. A steady drop in temperature, coupled with more "settled" weather, might lead to a more "drawn-out display" across the country's parks and woodlands.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire
From the top of Coombe Hill, you'll get a magnificent view across the Chiltern Hills in "all their autumnal glory", said Ellie Walker-Arnott in Time Out. And if the conditions are right, you should be able to see all the way to the Cotswolds. After taking in the sweeping vistas, pick one of the many nearby walking trails which will take you through a "canopy of golden beech trees or the moss-covered Low Scrubs woodland at the foot of the hill".
Ashridge, Hertfordshire
The "explosion of vibrantly earthy colours" across Ashridge Estate's ancient woodland is "difficult to beat" at this time of year, said Forrest in The Telegraph. Once the residence of Henry VIII, the 5,000-acre National Trust estate is home to a beautiful tree-fringed parkland designed by Capability Brown. For a "superb" but not too difficult trail, follow the three-mile Foresters' Walk which takes you through deer meadows, historic forests and "serves up lovely views of Ashridge House".
New Forest National Park
Located on the south coast of England, spanning Hampshire and Wiltshire, this "great treescape" has been a "place of autumn magnificence for centuries", said Chris Leadbeater in The Telegraph. The sprawling national park is home to ancient oaks and "elderly beeches", alongside evergreen yews that have "murmured with the breeze for the best part of a millennium". Consider visiting during the New Forest Walking Festival from 19 October 19 to 3 November to take part in one of the many guided strolls.
Howick Hall, Northumberland
Set in the grounds of Howick Hall is a 65-acre arboretum grown almost entirely from seeds collected in the wild from China, Japan and Vietnam, said Lucy McGuire in The Times. Those that are "feeling energetic" can "combine strolls beside burnt-orange beech and rose-pink katsura trees" with an amble along the East Arboretum's Long Walk Trail to a "peaceful sandy cove". It's also well worth visiting Silver Wood – a woodland garden established by Lord Grey in 1930 – to see the "burgundy-colour nikko maples".
Derby Arboretum, Derby
"This Grade II listed attraction is England's oldest public park", said McGuire in The Times. Commissioned by local mill-owner and philanthropist Joseph Strutt and designed by Victorian botanist John Claudius Loudon in 1840, the magnificent arboretum is still home to 10 original trees including the "black walnut, which displays buttery-yellow autumn foliage".
Glen Affric, Highlands
Glen Affric is a beautiful place to visit at any time of the year, said Forrest in The Telegraph, but it's "even more magical" come autumn when the "ancient Caledonian pines and haunting moorlands morph colours into golden hues". For a "real adventure", consider taking the 44-mile long-distance hiking trail, the Affric Kintail Way, from Drumnadrochit on the shores of Loch Ness to Morvich in Kintail.
-
October 19 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's editorial cartoons include Pete Hegseth and the press, an absence of government, and George Washington crossing the Delaware
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelagoThe Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
9 inviting bookstores ready for you to attack their shelvesThe Week Recommends Your new favorite book awaits
-
Tim Robinson falls out of a chair, chefs compete for Michelin stars and Martin Scorsese gets the documentary treatment in October TVthe week recommends This month's new television releases include ‘The Chair Company,’ ‘Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars’ and ‘Mr. Scorsese’
-
Frankenstein comes to life, the Alabama prison system is exposed and Rose Byrne goes full Crazy Mom in October moviesthe week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘The Alabama Solution’ and ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’
-
Choose your own wellness adventure in Greater Palm SpringsThe Week Recommends Hit the spa, try a sound bath or take a hike
-
A Taylor Swift analysis, the digital-addiction solution plus what it means to be a gay Black artist — all in October booksThe Week Recommends This month's new releases include ‘Taylor’s Version’ by Stephanie Burt, ‘Enshittification’ by Cory Doctorow and ‘Minor Black Figures’ by Brandon Taylor
-
8 of the best ‘cozy crime’ series of all timeThe Week Recommends Murder mysteries don’t necessarily have to make us miserable, and these shows have perfected a feel-good crime formula
-
One great cookbook: ‘The Woks of Life’The Week Recommends A family’s opinionated, reliable take on all kinds of Chinese cooking
-
The 5 best mob movies of all timeThe Week Recommends If you don’t like a good gangster flick, just fuhgeddaboudit
