Big is beautiful at Brush Hill

What a difference a couple of days can make. On Thursday I walked around a hill blanketed in thick fog and marvelled at the little things, such as cobwebs, fungi, moss and lichen, hiding in amongst the trees. In contrast, the sun was shining today and the air was cold and crisp, making it finally feel like winter. It was the big things, the huge trees and the sweeping views, that really struck me as I walked around Brush Hill.

Brush Hill is only a couple of minutes away from us and is one of our family favourites. It has some of the best views in the Chilterns from the top of the grassland slope and is a great place to pause and enjoy the sights and watch the red kites.

View from the top of Brush Hill, with Bledlow Ridge in the distance.

Pyrtle Spring is at the bottom of the hill, in the middle of the fields on the left.

Red kites can usually be seen over Brush Hill

The woodland at the top of the hill is a great place to explore. The kids love it because it's flat and has ponds to peer into, trees to climb, stumps to jump off and bugs to hunt.  There were plenty of robins, great tits and blue tits twittering throughout the trees and I could hear, but never quite see, a woodpecker nearby. The site is managed by the Chiltern Society and they've put a lot of new nest boxes up, both in Brush Hill and across the road in Whiteleaf Hill, which really seem to be making a difference. I'm sure the sunshine helped as well, but the trees seemed to be full of very busy birds.

The woods at the top of Brush Hill

The bluebells are starting to grow

I walked down to the bottom of the hill through the woods, then back up the steep steps (that Bug Mad Girl rather dramatically calls the 'steps of death') on the other side of the hill. There were some beautiful old trees in the woods that looked very dramatic, with their maze of bare branches standing out against the blue skies.

One of my favourite beech trees

Bug Mad Girl's best climbing tree

What a beautiful morning walking around Brush Hill!