Bardney Limewoods Nature Reserve Walk

Dog friendly and quietly atmospheric, this short circular threads through the College and Thistle Storr Woods section of the Bardney Limewoods National Nature Reserve, one of the last remnants of the small-leaved lime forest that once covered central Lincolnshire. Bluebells, wood anemones and oxlips carpet the ground in spring, and the canopy stays dense and shady well into autumn.

Dogs can run off-lead through most of the woodland but should be kept on lead near the Tupholme and Bardney Abbey fields where rare-breed longhorn cattle graze. The main paths are broad, well-drained and pushchair-friendly in the drier months, though field edges can turn boggy after heavy rain. Parking is free at the small off-road car park by the war memorial in Bardney (grid TF 120 694), with more parking at College and Thistle Storr Woods.