Enjoy some autumn colour at Queenswood

As the leaves on the trees start to turn and autumn descends upon us where better to see some amazing autumn colour than Herefordshire Council’s Queenswood Country Park?

October and early November is the best time to visit to see trees ablaze with colour and at the arboretum, especially in the Autumn Garden there are some really spectacular sights. Here the foliage of the Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum) display brilliant vermilions, purples, yellows and oranges.

Once again, this autumn there are lots of activities planned to help you make the most of this fantastic season.

The first event is the “Queenswood photography walk” on Wednesday, October 21 from 2pm until 5pm, when Ranger Paul Ratcliffe and travelling photographer Nick Meers will show how to take better photos of the arboretum and all its glorious autumnal colours. The walk costs £4 and booking is essential to help us manage numbers.

“Amazing art with autumn colours” will take place on Tuesday, October 27 from 10.30am to noon, this fun family walk with Ranger Jim Key and local artist Lisa Pendlebury will involve collecting fallen materials to create a giant scale piece of autumn art. This event cost is £2 per child and booking is essential.

Join Wildplay for the final event in October “Spooky Halloween Fun” on Thursday, October 29. There will be two sessions; the first at 11am to 12.30 pm, and the second at 1pm to 2.30pm. Come along to  walk the haunted trail and take part in different Halloween activities. Booking is essential and entry is free.

On Saturday, November 14 “Fairytale Fungi” is taking place from 10am to 12.30pm. Experienced members of the Herefordshire Fungus Survey Group will accompany a group of people around the arboretum and woodland exploring the diverse range of fungi. Suitable for children over 12 years old only, booking is essential and entry costs £2 for adults but children over 12 and under 18 can attend for free.

Throughout the half term holiday you can discover how seeds find a new place to grow by following Bertie Buzzard’s Autumn Trail. Entry forms are 50p and are available from Queenswood Tourist Information Centre.

To book any of these events please contact Queenswood Tourist Information Centre, telephone 01568 797842. At all the events children must be accompanied by an adult.

Queenswood is Herefordshire’s only country park and has free car parking, toilets and a licensed café. There are three way-marked trails and easy access paths so that everyone can enjoy the park as well as a picnic and barbecue area, a popular adventure play area and a free ‘seaside style’ telescope at the view-point. 

Queenswood Country Park is on the A49 between Hereford and Leominster – follow the brown signs at the top of Dinmore Hill.  Alternatively the 492 bus service departs Hereford and Leominster at regular intervals throughout the day.