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Autumn is a time of change and is the perfect time to indulge in exploring the best forest walks in the UK. With the changing guard of the seasons, autumn is the perfect time for long autumn forest walks amidst the changing rainbow of foliage. This season holds a unique magic, as it’s never the same twice. With mosaics of patchwork colours to be found throughout the UK, the heralding of autumn is a joyous time.
Read on to discover the best places in the UK for autumn colour…
Trelissick Garden (National Trust), Cornwall
🌿 Trelissick Garden, Cornwall
Overlooking the wide, silver sweep of the River Fal, Trelissick feels more like a meeting of sea and spirit than a simple garden. Sheltered by ancient oak woodland, it has long been a place of quiet Cornish magic — where river mist drifts between the trees as if hinting at another world.
The land here carries echoes of old maritime myths and the sacredness of water — the boundary between seen and unseen. A walk through Trelissick feels like entering a green threshold between land and tide.
Take time to explore the grounds, in no particular order, and notice the details of the gardens. Pause at the edge of the water and use this time to let go of all you wish to leave behind.
Wistman’s Wood, Devon
Tangled with moss and mist, Wistman’s Wood is a relic of woodlands past, said to be haunted by the spectral Wisht Hounds — ghostly hunting dogs that roam Dartmoor’s night.
The oaks, small and ancient, twist over granite boulders like creatures mid-transformation, their roots clutching rock and fringing the wild river. Some say Druids once gathered here; others claim that it’s a gateway between worlds.
One of Britain’s last remaining ancient rainforests, and with a name that harks to a well-told Tolkein tale (try saying that quickly over a pint of ale at the Prancing Pony), few places in England feel so alive with myth and ancient memory. To walk here is to step into the green heart of Dartmoor’s oldest story — wild, sacred, and unsettlingly beautiful.
Its remote location makes for an evocative autumn walk, and with the swirling mist never far away, you are certain to keep an eye out for Hobbits and dwarves.
Dwell here too long and those pesky piskies (a regional variation of pixies) might come and spirit you away… probably to the nearby Pixie shop, Pixieland!
Thorncombe Woods, Dorset
Where woodland meets evocative heathland, Thorncombe feels like a landscape paused. This quiet place of hazel, oak and birch borders Thomas Hardy’s birthplace — and still hums with the melancholy of his novels.
But long before Hardy’s words, these woods were part of an older Dorset, one of folklore and quiet spirits. Listen closely among the trees and you may hear the rustle of pexies (the Dorset version of pixies) — the mischievous little forest folk said to lead travellers astray.
Thorncombe invites gentle wandering and a remembrance of the stories at the heart of England’s England’s storytelling soul.
Savernake Forest, Wiltshire
Savernake is a forest of giants — its ancient oaks so vast and hollow they seem to hold centuries of whispers. The Big Belly Oak, over a thousand years old, stands as a living relic of the Saxon age.
Local tales tell of witches who once gathered beneath its branches, and of fairy lights flickering in the hollows at dusk. This is England’s last privately owned forest (by the Marquess of Ailesbury), and I can attest to its inclusion on this list – it truly is one of the best autumn walks in England. This forest is a reminder that some places are more than history; they are memory banks for us and future generations.
Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire
A totem of trees, Westonbirt Arboretum gathers the world’s forests in one place — from fiery Japanese maples to ancient English oaks. It is one of the best autumn forest walks in the UK.
Though its creation was Victorian, the landscape feels older, as though the spirits of global woodlands have taken root together. It’s a place that brings plants and people together, uniting young and old in a spectacular cathedral of colour. Autumn is the best time of year to visit, when the colours create a mesmerising spectacle.
Locals speak of a sense of presence here — a stillness beneath the canopy that connects you to something ancient, vast and wise.
Westonbirt is not just about the trees, but invites us to consider what it means to belong: to a landscape, a place or a moment in time.
Wye Valley & Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire in England, and Monmouthshire in Wales
Borderlands are always places of story and spirit — and the Wye Valley, with its cliffs, caves, and deep green forests, is no exception.
The Forest of Dean, to the east of the Wye Valley, is said to be home to fair folk, wild boar spirits (you might catch a glimpse of their real life descendants), and even the ghost of King Arthur’s knights. Puzzlewood’s twisted roots and mossy paths inspired Tolkien’s Middle-earth, while the River Wye winds like a silver thread between England and Wales — a natural frontier of myth and meaning.
Walking here feels like crossing between history and dream. This enchanted area, full of myth and magic, should be high on your list of autumn forest walks.
Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire
Few ruins in Britain hold such quiet power as Tintern Abbey. Founded by Cistercian monks in the twelfth century, its roofless arches open to the sky, reminiscent of the great limbs of leafless trees.
Yet beneath its serenity, the Wye Valley around Tintern hums with legend — tales of saints, sacred springs, and the wild old gods that once ruled this land. Wordsworth found spiritual renewal here; so too might the modern pilgrim.
Tintern is both ruin and revelation — a meeting place of stone, sky and spiritual revelation.
Bannau Brychieniog (Brecon Beacons), Various Welsh counties – Four Waterfalls Walk
Hidden within a deep, mossy gorge, the Four Waterfalls Walk traces the Elidir Trail — a path where air, stone and water exist in harmony together. Each waterfall — Sgwd Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd y Pannwr, and Sgwd yr Eira — has its own unique energy and spirit.
Sgwd is pronounced ‘s-good’ and translates to ‘fall’ or ‘waterfall’. Sgwd Clun-Gwyn is the “Fall of the White Meadow,” Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn is the “Lower Fall of the White Meadow,” Sgwd y Pannwr is the “Fall of the Fuller” or “Fuller’s Cascade,” and Sgwd yr Eira is the “Waterfall of Snow”.
The last, the “Falls of Snow,” invites walkers to pass behind its curtain of water — a symbolic act of cleansing and renewal. Welsh legend tells that these valleys once belonged to faeries and water maidens who lured mortals with enchanting song.
To walk here is to wander in awe through living myth — a renewal through mist and the stories that run through this country’s heartland.
Conclusion: The Best Walks for Autumn Colour
Each of the places mentioned here hold more than just aesthetic additions to your Instagram grid. These are places of legend, myth and ancient mystery. I urge you to get outside and explore these ancient English and Welsh wooded habitats.
The UK has a long and varied history, evident in the changing feel and fortunes of each of these woods. Embrace this colourful time of year, discover the best forest walks in the UK and immerse yourself amongst the local stories and traditions to be found around our ancient Isles. What you find might surprise you… and stir even the hardest of hearts who do not yet choose to believe in magic.
Until next time, trail tribe. 👣
Jenni
Psst… If you’re worried you’ll have no one to go on your autumn walks with (don’t worry, we’ve all got fair-weather hiking friends) then take a leaf out of my book (pun intended) and start your solo hiking journey today. 💚