REVIEW: Autumn Trip to Westonbirt Arboretum

"I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift."

– Dodinsky

Get the closest you will actually ever be to stepping into a painting and visit the wonderful world of Westonbirt Arboretum this Autumn for the changing of the leaves.

Just a few short miles from Bath, down some winding country lanes, you will find the magical world of Westonbirt Arboretum. Home to over 2500 different species from every single corner of the globe, this leafy wonderland has something for everyone. I have visited Westonbirt several times over the past few years and every single time, I discover something new that I never found before, no matter how busy the car park may seem, you can still get lost in your very own wonderland down the muddy paths that trail around the acres of land.

Throughout the year, Westonbirt do a number of trails for younger members of the family and this half term, we decided to try out their new Wonderful World of Fungi. Roughly a mile long and along a smooth, flat path, this trail is suitable for buggies, and wheelchairs, accommodating to other accessible requirements and suitable for all weathers. 

The narrative around this trail is educating about Fungi and how they are an often overlooked super organism. What are fungi? They digest their food so are they animals? Animals have stomachs but fungi don’t. Instead, they send out chemicals called enzymes to break down the food and then they absorb the nutrients through their cell walls. So they’re not animals either!

Fungi are a separate Kingdom. Most of the time, fungi are a mass of thin threads called mycelium, that search for food out of sight. It’s only when they fruit and grow mushrooms that we notice that they are there!

Grab your wellies, your dog, your kids, your thermos flask and your coat and immersive yourself in the colours of Autumn at Westonbirt. 

You won’t regret it.

Find out more about Westonbirt Arboretum HERE!

Written by Laura Sophia Rose Bennett - @mamma.massive