Excursion to Queenswood Countrypark & Arboretum

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On15th May, we went to Queenswood Country Park, located between Hereford and Leominster.

We bought a map of the Country Park & arboretum in the shop and started exploring.

We were both interested in going to the viewpoint, and followed the footpath on the Lime Avenue and Jubilee Walk towards the destination. It was a very clear and sunny morning, and it allowed us to see wonderful panoramic views of the county, from Malvern Hills in the east to the Black Mountains in the west.

After taking photos, we went back to the trail, stopped at summer garden, autumn garden, redwood grove, Queen Elizabeth Grove, and Oak Avenue. There were a wide variety of conifers, wildflowers, shrubs and trees growing healthily on the arboretum. We saw carpets of bluebells and buttercups at the foot of trees, pinkish Japanese cherries, apple blossoms, handkerchief trees, while following ‘Badger Trail’ in the morning. There were lots of people with children and dogs walking in the arboretum.

Concerned about the crowd in the lunch time, we had bought lunch at the mini supermarket near the station, and it saved our time not to have to queue for buying the snack in the café.

While having lunch, we thought about following “the deer trail” on both North and South Wood. However, we found the footpath around the Memorial Stone rather muddy. We also read that the footpath on the North Wood can be wet throughout the year and it is largely unmarked and the course contains steep up and downhills. So, we decided not to do the walk on the North Wood, but follow the deer trail on the South Wood. The deer trail was marked outer route of arboretum. There were some up and downhill routes, and it took some for us go through steep sections. We could hear birds singing among the bushes and feel the sense of wildlife habitats in the woodland. We also found it interesting to see the sculptures of owl, badgers, squirrel and bears.



We really enjoyed the walk on Queenswood Country Park & Arboretum and would like to come back there again. Next time, we might try walking on the North Wood!

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