Autumn: the season of fireworks, conkers, toffee apples, pumpkin spice lattés, Halloween and bonfires. What’s not to love about it? As the air gets chillier and crisper, you’ll have an excuse to (un)guiltily splash out on a gorgeous new coat, whip out your favourite Autumnal wardrobe pieces, and indulge in a bed of leaves crunching beneath your feet.
We’ve done the work of putting together the ultimate list of places you need to visit this season for the best autumn foliage. All you need to do is pick your favourite, grab your go-to hot drink, and gorge at (or take Instagrammable snaps) of the stunning red, brown and gold colours that this season gifts us with.
For the richest and most colourful experience, aim to visit here at the end of August/start of September. This is when the North American maples most famously turn a deep scarlet red, providing the most beautiful contrast against the garden’s huge range of other exotic trees.
The house itself makes a great day out – enriching its visitors with grand stately rooms, historic art and unique furnishings. Meanwhile, the small cottage huddled within the garden’s trees will satisfy your autumn aesthetic as you nestle yourself next to its fire with a hot drink.
Looking for a satisfying Instagram snap? The best view will be over its majestic lake, where the garden’s many different colours will gorgeously reflect over it.
You won’t be struggling with finding some stunning snaps and sights in the UK’s largest oak woodland. This one of very few surviving ancient forests is steeped in fascinating history, quirky legends and cultural heritage. Having once been inhabited in the Iron Ages, it was used as royal hunting grounds by Anglo-Saxon and Norman kings, and has since maintained its majestic yet mysterious aura.
With 20 million trees separating the River Severn and the River Wye, there are plenty of scenic routes to capture the ancient beauty of (autumnal) nature. Make sure to grab yourself a walking guide – perhaps one that leads you to one of the region’s idyllic villages, or one of the many historical landmarks hidden within the forest itself!
The Cotswolds as a whole offer countless gorgeous woodlands to get lost within the rich hues of autumn. My own personal recommendation is Westonbirt Arboretum, which is home to over 15,000 trees, ranging in types from all over the world. You’ll have access to 17 miles and 600 acres of picture-perfect walking paths, alongside 2 specified special autumn trails (approximately 1 and 2 hours long).
This particular woodland is famous for its spectacular Japanese maples, which never disappoint with their ablazing tones of red, orange and yellow.
‘How often has my spirit turned to thee!’ were the thoughts William Wordsworth recited in his poem, dwelling on the beauty of the grounds surrounding Tintern Abbey. The 12th-century ruin itself is gothic and mysterious enough to satisfy an early eerie mood in time for Halloween. Meanwhile, the grounds enveloping the Abbey convey a Grimm-like fairytale setting with its gnarled trees and moss-covered boulders.
For the best view of the grounds’ seasonal colours, climb to a limestone outcrop well above the surrounding river. Or you can make your way to the Devil’s Pulpit, which offers a spectacular birds-eye view of the Abbey ruins, and all its autumn foliage that encases it.
This open landscape is perfect for September sightings as its sedge turns a deep red, sometimes with golden hues as the setting sun attempts to enlighten through its leaves. The open water flowing through the grassland provides its visitors with stunning reflections of its seasonal surroundings.
Early autumn is also the most ideal time to spot some of its signature wildlife: strikingly blue Kingfishers dabbling in and out of the water, alongside Orb-weaver spiders carefully spinning glassy webs.
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