Dockey Wood revisited

Met up with friends and blippers Cat, Jane, Annie and Chris at the Brownlow Cafe on the Ashridge Estate for breakfast - sausage sandwich and a hot chocolate which went down very nicely! 

After brekkie, we headed over to Dockey Wood where the bluebells still looked amazing - a carpet of purple covering the wood and the lime green leaves on the beech trees were beginning to emerge further.  Being the bank holiday weekend we expected it to be  heaving with people, but we were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too busy.  Perhaps it was the National Trust imposing a fee on non-members to enter the woods this year - part of their efforts to provide a greater staff presence to protect the bluebells from being trampled by thoughtless people! Let's hope it works to preserve this wonderful location.

We drove over to Ivinghoe Beacon for lunch - a healthy piece of coffee and walnut cake and another hot chocolate.  Ok, not a good day for my get fit campaign - but it was delicious! Our next stop was Pitstone Windmill and finally a climb up to the top of Ivinghoe Beacon for fabulous views over the surrounding countryside.

After the real mixed bag of weather on my last visit, which included several hailstorms, today proved to be a lovely warm, sunny day.  Another great day out with great company.