Fairhaven Woodland and Water Gardens is an organic garden, about 9 miles east of Norwich, with private woodlands and walks around the neighbouring broad to explore. It’s in this area of private woodland that Fairhaven hosts their bluebell weeks event, where visitors have the opportunity to find wild bluebells.

Bluebells at Fairhaven Woodland and Water Gardens

This year (2020), the bluebell week event at Fairhaven runs from 20th April through to 10th May.

The wild bluebells at Fairhaven can be found in the 60 acres of woodland that form the nature reserve adjacent to the garden (access to this area is included in your entry price to the garden). The separate section of woodland is closed off for most of the year and opened up especially for visitors to see the bluebells.

Visitors hoping to find the bluebells must make their way to the top of the garden grounds and cross over the road (be cautious of traffic) to access the wild woodland haven. It’s roughly a 4 mile round trip from the reception of Fairhaven to the top of the woodland where the highest density of bluebells can be found.

Once you reach the gate of the secluded woods you will have to follow the woodland path and venture a little deeper amongst the trees to find the wild flowers.

You will begin to see signs of the beautiful bluebells springing up alongside the path, getting denser and denser as you pass but it’s once you follow the gentle curve of the undulating hillside that you will be presented with a carpet of blue, sweeping across the woodland floor.

If you are able to visit mid-week, you may be lucky enough to have the enchanted bluebell wood virtually to yourselves.

Accessibility at Fairhaven

Much of Fairhaven is accessible for those with mobility issues; there are dedicated boardwalk paths throughout the garden, a wheelchair accessible boat for trips on the broad and even electric mobility scooters available for those that may wish to use them.

Having said this, from my own visit I would say that the dedicated woodland area that is home to the bluebells is a lot less suited to anyone using a wheelchair, with a buggy or with mobility issues, than the rest of the garden is. The path up to the best place to see the bluebells is a simple dirt path and this area of the nature reserve is not as flat as the main garden.

 

What else to see at Fairhaven

Even if you can’t make it for the brief bluebell season, a visit for just the gardens alone is well worth it.

Fairhaven is open 364 days a year (only closing on Christmas day) and boasts ‘cultivated, wild and natural plantings’ to be enjoyed.

The garden is perfect for nature lovers thanks to the beautiful views across the broad. Many of the 95 species of bird that can be found at Fairhaven are rare and can only be in the unique habitat of the Norfolk Broads.

There a bird hides dotted along the water’s edge for keen bird spotters and Fairhaven also run ‘dawn chorus’ boat trips for early birds to catch the best of what Fairhaven’s private broad has to offer.

 

For other great locations for finding bluebells, you can read my posts on Where to See Bluebells in Norfolk and The Bluebells of Foxley Wood.

Explore my Norfolk Life category for other great things to find in this fine county.

 

 

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