Photo courtesy of Chris Foster

The Woodland Trust is urging people to go down to the woods today – not to see the Teddy Bears’ Picnic but to revel in the best display of autumn colours for many years.

Although it was a miserable wet and windy summer, the warm and mainly dry autumn has given England’s woods and forests a golden glow. To help people enjoy them, the trust is publishing a web map to show people the nearest woods to visit.

Says the trust’s Dr Kate Lewthwaite, "Even though it’s felt like a wet dreary summer, Nature has had an interesting year. For a starter it has been a wonderful year for berries. “We’ve had bumper crops of hawthorn, rowan and elderberries, with plump crops still hanging from the trees, excellent for our feathered friends. And the sunny days and cold evenings have helped trees and woodland to glow with golden colour this season."

"Harder to believe is that temperatures have been relatively mild and if they continue as expected we'll see wonderful colours throughout November." The trust, a registered charity, manages thousands of acres of woodland throughout England, including the famous Skipton Woods in the Yorkshire Dales, its trees and water features gathered round the town’s 12 Century castle.

For other places to enjoy the autumn gold rush, see www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/woods