Spring is by far the best time for a walk with the many colourful flowers that are in bloom, birds and butterflies returningm and the days growing longer and longer. Daffodil Way in Gloucestershire has been named by The Telegraph as one of the UK’s best spring walks. This 10-mile circular trail near the Cotswolds is lined with hundreds of bright yellow daffodils especially around the “Golden Triangle” of Dymock, Kempley, and Oxenhall.
For hundreds of years, the area has been known for its many wild daffodils, and daffodil picking was even once an essential part of the local economy. Established in 1988, the walk passes through ancient woodlands and charming villages, offering breathtaking views.
The daffodils, once picked and sent across the UK by rail, were transported along a now-defunct railway line that closed in 1964.
Every spring, the railway line was used to bring people to Gloucester to harvest these beautiful flowers.
Each year around this time, the area around the “golden triangle” of Gloucestershire villages—Dymock, Kempley, and Oxenhall—transforms into golden fields and meadows blanketed of bright yellow and white daffodils.
Along with the daffodils, you’ll encounter picturesque ponds, streams, and orchards, while the section through Dymock Woods also features deep violet-blue coloured bluebells.
The walk starts in Dymock, renowned for its Stinking Bishop cheese, and takes you to Kempley, where you’ll find the 12th-century St. Mary’s Church, which is also famous for its medieval wall paintings.
This walk not only offers stunning natural landscapes, but it is also closely associated with the Dymock Poets, a literary group who lived and wrote here during the First World War and were inspired by the natural surroundings.
The Dymock Poets included Lascelles Abercrombie and Wilfrid Gibson, as well as the famous Robert Frost and Edward Thomas.