Many people consider spring as their favourite season, and it’s easy to see why.
From longer days to blooming flowers, the hallmarks of spring are now all around us as we approach mid-March.
After a long, hard winter, the first signs of spring are often the perfect tonic for a more positive mindset.
As March progresses, you’ll no doubt start noticing blankets of deep violet in woodlands, roadside verges and other open spaces.
Flowering from mid-March to early May, bluebells are known for transforming the countryside each spring.
Last spring lifestyle magazine Muddy Stilettos picked out some of the best places in Nottinghamshire to see carpets of bluebells.
Discover them below:
1. Oldmoor Wood, Strelley
Muddy Stilettos said: "Swathes of dense, spectacular bluebells pepper the woods at this stunning spot just five miles from Nottingham city centre. It can get a bit overgrown, but the Woodland Trust tries to manage it to keep paths free and it’s an easy circular walk (the bluebells get better the deeper into the wood you go)." | Nottingham U3A Photo: Nottingham U3A
2. Wollaton Park
Muddy Stilettos said: "The bluebells at Wollaton just get better and better each year and now they’re proper carpets. Spring time walks all around Wollaton deer park are lovely, but the best spot for bluebells? Head to the patch between the lake and the A52 boundary wall." | Chris Edwards Photo: Chris Edwards
3. Bunny Old Wood
Muddy Stilettos said: "Blimey, this woodland’s so ancient it’s referenced in the Doomsday Book and Henry VII and his army are known to have camped nearby on their way to the Battle of East Stoke in 1487. If the history doesn’t do it for you, the beautiful bluebells will – proper carpets here." | Joseph Glenn Photo: Joseph Glenn
4. Creswell Crags
Muddy Stilettos said: "The walking trails are pretty here in bluebell season as carpets of blue sit alongside primroses and wild garlic flowers under the shade of the trees. Walk the woodland paths and along the stream that runs into the gorge lake and you might even spot water voles too." | Enchufla Con Clave Photo: Enchufla Con Clave