There’s something special about enjoying the days lengthening as we head from the Spring Equinox to the Summer Solstice. The weather gets warmer and the land bursts into life with colour and birdsong all around. We are open on March 28th this year, in time for an Early Easter camping trip, and are open right through until September. So plenty of time to get in a Spring camping trip at Wytch Wood!
The ancient woodland at Wytch Wood is carpeted with flowers throughout April and May and into June. Bluebells are the stars of the show, along with the white star-shaped flowers of Wild Garlic.
Of course, blossom flourishes in spring as well, with a spectacular show from the old Hawthorns around the site, and our younger fruit trees around Cherry Bank.
Seek out shier varieties like wild violets, red campion and golden celandines who all flourish across the site. Use our nature board to help identify the different flowers on-site, or bring along your favourite guide or app to up your spotting game.
Pitches 6, 7, 9 and 16 give best views into the woodland to enjoy the bluebells.
If you are looking to beat the crowds, then planning your camping trip outside of the school holidays is a must. Not only will the campsite be quieter, but so will all your favourite spots to visit like Lyme Regis, local attractions, cafes, and footpaths; everything will be less crowded.
We’ll still be doing coffee in the mornings and pizza on Saturday nights – even in the quieter months, so you can still treat yourself during your stay. Whitsun half term is pretty much our busiest of the week of the year and is already 75% booked – but outside of that week May and June often provides some of our best weather, but lowest occupancy of the year, so why not take advantage?
Spring foraging at Wytch Wood is pretty great if we do say so. There is wild garlic E V E R Y W H E R E, along with tons of wild greens that can be added to salads and soups, fritters and teas.
We will be adding as many as we can to our pizza and food menus – look out for Wild garlic pizza bread and pesto.
The best pitches for foraging at your feet are pitch 2, 3 and 5 – but to be honest, you won’t have to walk far to get your fill.
Always be careful when you’re foraging that you know what you are picking – but wild Garlic is fairly easy to spot, and smell! Do you have a favourite spring foraging recipe?
Wytch Wood is on a sheep farm and spring time is lambing season! There are often ewes with their young lambs in the paddocks surrounding the campsites and on the hills crossed by footpaths. We sometimes also have foals on the farm as well, so you might well see a baby thoroughbred learning how to run on its long gangly legs! And of course there are lots of baby rabbits, squirrels, foxes, deer and badgers which you may spot on your visit.
Spring is a great time for bird watching, with fewer leaves on the trees to block your view, you can spot more camouflaged species like Tree Creepers.
The woods are full of birds – look out for the nests and see if the bird boxes around the site have any new inhabitants! We’ve found blackbirds and wrens nesting in log stacks on pitch 8 and Bluetits in tree hollows on pitch 5 – just make sure you don’t disturb them.
Look out for all manner of finches, tits, thrushes, tree creepers and nuthatches, black birds, warblers – and some rarer visiting species. Of course you’ll be able to hear some of them – like the woodpeckers and owls, are all hard to miss.
We have some guides in the barn, but we love the Merlin Bird ID app which identifies birds from their song!
You can have a campfire at Wytch Wood pretty much any time of year, but there is something extra special about cooking on fire and staying warm on a chilly night around your firepit. We supply fire pits for your stay, so it’s one less thing to pack – you just need to bring the marshmallows. Smores anyone?
So, what are you waiting for?
Grab your thermals, your guidebooks, and get booking! We are always happy to help with any questions and offer advice on which camping pitch might suit you best depending on what’s important to you.
Leave us a comment – what’s your favourite thing about camping in Spring?
