The Bluebells at Rannerdale

Known as the 'Secret Valley of the Bluebells', Rannerdale has to be one of the most stunning valleys in  England when it is time for the bluebells to bloom. It is actually stunning at any time of year. Found by the side of Crummock Water, there is a small National Trust car park, as the valley and fell belongs to the National Trust. Should you drive past, you would just think it's another one of those glorious National Trust walks that are plentiful in the Lake District, but it is much more than that at bluebell time. From the road side you can spot a little haze of misty blue, purple colours that just blend with the browns, greens and greys of the fells and mountain ridges. It could be mistaken for slate even and you might drive on towards Buttermere, missing a real treat. 

If you happen to stop and take a closer look, walk down a narrow path from the car park, you come upon a gate with a sign about bluebells and your first glimpses of bluebells that make you do one huge double take. Bluebells on a forsaken mountain side? Astonishing - but yes - whole carpets of English bluebells, sweeping the whole valley towards the lake below. It's a marvellous sight and beautiful walking territory. Pathways lead you through the enchanting bluebells, across becks and streams, bluebells nodding down at you from the slopes of Rannerdale Knotts. 

You could believe that fairies actually exist here, but this secret valley is associated with darker folklore. It is rumoured that native Britons and Norsemen fought the Normans here some years after the battle of 1066. The Normans were lured into the valley and defeated and the bluebells are triggered from the blood shed of the battle. Personally, I 'd prefer to stick with my imaginings of fairies - this must be where they first came from! The panoramic views, peacefulness, the beauty and silence, the trickle of the beck  - it does make you want to sit, look upon it all, imagine and conjure up your thoughts...

The Rannerdale Bluebells truly are a moving show of nature in all it's glory.