Autumn at Queenswood Country Park, Herefordshire

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me or follows me on social media that autumn is my favourite time of year! Mainly because of how beautiful our earth looks cloaked in its fiery autumnal coloured coat, from bright yellows and shimmering gold, through orangery ochre’s to brilliant scarlet and rusty russet. Nothing beats sunny autumn days crunching through crisp fallen leaves in multi-coloured woodlands. Therefore Queenswood Country Park, complete with its 47 acre arboretum sounded right up my street. Just perfect for a November jaunt!

Living in an area of the UK where we are littered with country parks, it came as a huge surprise to me to learn that Queenswood is the only designated Country Park in Herefordshire. It’s safe to say that this makes it a super special place to visit. With such a regal title and carrying a great recommendation from a friend should I find myself in Herefordshire, I had high hopes for my visit. I wasn’t disappointed.

Discovering the Arboretum at Queenswood Country Park

The arboretum forms the centrepiece of Queenswood Country Park being the easily accessible area nearest the car park and visitor centre. It features over 1200 rare and exotic trees from all over the world so no matter what time of year you visit, you’ll see something impressive! A beautiful Bluebell wood and a delightful Cherry Blossom walk in spring and a wonderful wildflower meadow in summer.

This is autumn however, so after picking up my park map in the visitor centre and discovering the myriad of criss-crossing paths, I set out up the lime avenue in the direction of the autumn garden. There just had to be some epic Japanese Maples there with their easily recognisable bright red leaves. It seemed like a great place to start.

The Acers

There amongst many other equally photogenic trees, I found the beautiful Acers. This is the scientific name for the Japanese Maple. I confess I may have spent a fair while photographing the autumn garden. There’s just something about the foliage colour that sets me off!

Oak Avenue

Despite the name, the striking colours are not just limited to the autumn garden as you’ll discover when walking through the rest of the arboretum. The canopy of the Lime Avenue takes on a luminescent yellow. Walking down the Oak Avenue you’ll find yourself crunching through the fallen coppery coloured leaves from 32 different species of Oak. Despite thinking of Oak trees as being indigenous to the UK, only 2 of the species at Queenswood are our natives: the English Oak and the Sessile Oak. Amongst the others are the Cork Oak whose bark is the source of all natural cork and the Daimyo Oak which sports ginormous leaves up to 40 x 20 cm.

The Redwoods

Also of note in the arboretum is a super collection of Californian Redwoods. The Redwood is known for being the tallest tree on earth. In their native habitat they can live up to 3000 years old and reach 100m in height. The Redwood Grove at Queenswood Country Park was planted in 1956 and the trees have already reached 30m tall. I just love the rich bronze colour of their bark.

You can download both early and late autumn tree trails leaflets here which give plenty of information on what to look out for.

Champion Trees at Queenswood Country Park

There are even some Champion trees to spot in the arboretum at Queenswood Country Park. These are trees that have been designated as the largest or finest trees either in the county or the country. Queenswood hosts a number of both classifications. Labels by the trees will alert you to their ‘Champion’ status so keep an eye out. You can also download the Champion Tree trail online here. It’s always cool to be able to say “I’ve seen the best [insert tree name] in the country.”

Discovering the Viewpoint

One of the big highlights at Queenswood Country Park is the viewpoint which can be found at the end of the Jubilee Walk. It provides spectacular panoramic views looking south, from the Malvern Hills in the east to the Black Mountains in the west. There’s a toposcope which details the various hills and ridges you can see and a board nearby that provides further information on the woodland management scheme in operation at Queenswood. Make sure you don’t miss this ‘look-out’ if you’re planning a visit.

Here’s a Bit of Queenswood History:

Well, I thought Queenswood had a rather regal name. It turns out that Queenswood Country Park used to be part of much larger ancient oak woodlands which stretched as far as the Welsh Borders. Like most land it was held by the Crown for a good proportion of its time. Originally known as Kings Wood, its name changed to Queenswood once Queen Elizabeth II took the throne.

Its move towards becoming a country park started when the land was purchased by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) in 1934 to save it from being developed into holiday homes. A year later it was passed in Trust to Herefordshire County Council to be managed for public enjoyment. The site is now managed as a nature reserve and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its ecology. Over 190 plant species are on record across the site which is deemed high for Herefordshire. The arboretum planting began in 1953 in celebration of the Queen’s coronation and has grown to the impressive collection it yields today.

Queenswood Country Park Glory

In the autumn garden, amongst those glorious Acers, you’ll also find the ‘Dendrology Stone’. The stone bears a plaque given to Queenswood Country Park in 1981 from the International Dendrology Society to recognise the quality of the tree collection, their layout and public accessibility. The plaque is just one of 19 awarded worldwide since the scheme began in 1978 and the only one awarded to an English arboretum. Not bad going Herefordshire!

Forest Sculptures at Queenswood Country Park

I loved trying to find all the forest animal sculptures as I made my way around the Queenswood arboretum. Apparently there are seven (though I have to admit I failed to find them all.) They include a bat, buzzard, dormouse, an owl, pine martens, badgers and black bears and the locations of each are pin-pointed on the map. The animals portrayed relate to areas around the world where many of the arboretum trees come from. They have been created from locally sourced wood by local chainsaw carvers.

However, what is most exciting for those in single digits is the Gruffalo trail which launched in 2016. Several of the Gruffalo characters can be spotted around the arboretum and by each one there are boards with questions and activities that get children to interact with the forest environment. You can also buy a Gruffalo activity pack from the visitor centre. I was doing well in spotting the characters until my need for a loo sent me off track at the end. I hate to admit it but I actually missed the Gruffalo himself. Terrible I know….so if any of you have any photos of him, please send me one as I’m gutted to have missed him!

There is also a woodland playground to keep children entertained! Plus, if you’re a local, Queenswood Country Park runs holiday clubs and other events, so head on over to their events page to check out what’s on.

Exploring Beyond the Arboretum at Queenswood Country Park

If you have time to explore beyond the arboretum, there’s a huge network of paths winding through the North and South Woods of the Country Park. If you pick up a trail map at the visitor centre on the way in, it shows how to access these areas. Following the ‘Fox Trail’ will take you through the arboretum to explore the South Wood. This is predominantly made up of Oak trees and you are likely to spot the resident Fallow Deer in this area of the country park.

To add the North Wood to your day out, follow the ‘Deer Trail’. However be aware that these woods are less accessible than the arboretum as they are situated on sleep slopes and all paths bar one through the South Wood aren’t surfaced and therefore muddy and potentially slippy after wet weather.

You can also extend your visit to Queenswood Country Park with a visit to neighbouring Bodenham Lake Nature Reserve. Now, I didn’t have time to do this but it’s worth a trip if you have the time. You’ll find the footpath to Bodenham Lake on the other side of the A49 from the car park. The reserve is a mixture of meadows, wet woodland and orchard with the lake occupying the site of some old gravel pits. It forms the largest area of open water in Herefordshire. Some of the lake has restricted access as it is managed as a wildlife refuge. It is an important breeding area for birds with over 160 species historically recorded. There is a hide from which to watch what’s going on in the refuge.

A Well-Being Garden for Queenswood Country Park

Exciting plans are afoot for Queenswood Country Park with the creation of a well-being garden within the orchard. So if you’re planning a visit, keep an eye out for this. The garden will incorporate a sensory area enabling people to experience the garden though touch and smell. There will also be raised beds for those who struggle to work at ground level. Queenswood will run workshops on a variety of topics such as wildlife friendly gardening and therapeutic horticultural practices.

Last but not Least…

Before leaving, make sure you stop in at the shop (open 10-4pm daily) for some nature related gifts and souvenirs. The timber-framed visitor centre and the building next door that houses the cafe are both restored historic buildings that were once located elsewhere. The visitor centre was a Tannery from Leominster and the cafe was originally a 17^th century inn from Hereford called the Essex Arms. The cafe serves snacks, ice-creams and hot meals from 9am – 3pm, though the take away hatch is open till 4pm. The Queenswood Coronation Fund worked to have these threatened buildings re-erected here and they are a lovely addition to the site.

Oh and great news for dog owners… Your pooches can roam around off lead to their hearts content, as long as you have control over them of course and follow all the usual dog walkers’ codes. My Roger would certainly love it there; unfortunately I didn’t have him with me when I was visiting Herefordshire.

Although autumn is by far my favourite time to visit woods and arboretums, there’s still plenty of interest all year round, from spring wildflowers to frosty winter boughs… And luckily the Gruffalo never goes in to hibernation.

I hope you enjoy your visit to Queenswood Country Park as much as I did and please send me photos of the Gruffalo. I’d love to see him! If you’re on Facebook, please share with me there!

Have you visited the arboretum at Queenswood Country Park? Would you recommend a visit to others? Let me know in the comments below…

Further Reading

If like me you’re a huge fan of autumn and love looking through autumnal photos, take a peek at my other posts here….

Best Places to See Autumn Colour in the UK

Hamburg in Autumn

Autumnal Amsterdam

Craig-y-Nos Country Park in the Brecon Beacons

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