Amidst the advances of the modern world - and particularly due to an increasing trend in doing more activities online - it can be hard to appreciate the natural world around us and the changing seasons it brings. This underlines the significance of areas such as woodlands, which offer a unique opportunity for peaceful reflection and mindfulness. Woodlands also act as a reminder of our ancestors, who perhaps can be admired for their simple lifestyle, which included a far closer connection to nature than modern society often achieves. The Staffhurst Wood area has been wooded since the Anglo-Saxon period but some trees were felled for timber in the 1930s.

 

The recent history of Staffhurst Wood (in Limpsfield, Surrey) though is surprising: it was used as an ammunition dump and a location for troops stationed nearby during the Second World War. However, the woods still remain with a familiar cycle through the seasons as it was back then, with spring especially marked through the arrival of the bluebells. 

 

Undoubtedly, the central wonder of the area is the glorious sea of bluebells covering the ground. Emma Doyle said, ‘They look like something out of a fairytale.’ The bluebells in Staffhurst Wood are of the English variety but Spanish Bluebells and very commonly a hybrid between the two can be seen in woodlands. Some of the distinctive features which distinguish the two species apart include narrower leaves, a sweet scent and flowers only on one side of the stem for the English Bluebell.

 

Walking through the woods, taking in the scenery and smelling the fresh bluebells is an experience that allows you to be renewed both physically and mentally, mirroring the uninterrupted growth of nature there. This makes places like Staffhurst Wood so important and is why they are well worth a visit.