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8 spring walks you can take just outside London

RHS Garden Wisley - Prunus 'Shirotae' underplanted with Muscari armeniacum in Seven Acres: Jason Ingram
RHS Garden Wisley - Prunus 'Shirotae' underplanted with Muscari armeniacum in Seven Acres: Jason Ingram

Spring has sprung, and along with it come longer days, warmer temperatures and more opportunities to see naturally beautiful wildlife.

Sometimes, however, it's hard to make time to leave the city for a day of fresh air. Experience all nature has to offer with these walking excursions, all within a short distance from the capital.

For spring flowers

RHS Wisley rock garden (Jason Ingram)
RHS Wisley rock garden (Jason Ingram)

The return of colour to the countryside is a sure sign of winter's demise. Celebrate the season with a visit to the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Wisley, Surrey (rhs.org.uk; admission £15.40pp, or £11.55pp if arriving by bike or public transport),where blossom, bulbs and fresh, green leaves will lift the most winter-worn spirits.

For extra insight, join a Spring Walk & Talk (21 April; £37pp, including admission) for a guided stroll among tulips, magnolias and an orchard of pink-and-white petals; or put plants to good use at the Botanical Cocktails event (27 April, £112pp), mixing drinks using garden ingredients. Afterwards, hit The Black Swan (blackswanockham.com) for its seasonal menu of high-end pub grub, then follow its handy map for a circular walk.

For brilliant birdsong

March sees the arrival of the first of our summer songbirds, who sensibly see out the winter in sunnier climes. They soon join our resident species in belting out their signature songs, competing with each other for territories and mates. Get to know their different calls on a Wildlife Walk at Rainham Marshes, a Thames-side nature reserve downriver from London (rspb.org.uk/rainham; £10pp including admission, or £4pp for members).

Birds to expect on the guided walks (taking place on 4, 14 and 16 April) range from warblers in the reed beds to thrushes and cuckoos in the woodland. The Royal (theroyalpurfleet.co.uk), a stone's throw from the reserve's visitor centre, does decent pub lunches with riverside views back towards Canary Wharf and the City.

For baby lambs

The joy of watching lambs adorably gambolling in the fields is enough to turn anyone vegetarian. Come face to face with this season's newborns at Coombes Farm (coombes.co.uk; £3pp; 18 March until 23 April), a family-run enterprise tucked into a fold of the rolling South Downs, in West Sussex. See the latest arrivals in the lambing barn, then take a tractor-drawn tour to visit the rest of the flock on the hilltop (£2.50pp).

Footpaths lead from the farm up and over the Downs to the village of Bramber, where a ruined Norman castle can be explored before lunch at the Castle Inn (castleinnhotel.co.uk). The winding River Adur and the Downs Link cycle path provide a choice of routes for returning to the farm.

For mad March hares

The expression "hare-brained" is rather unflattering, but observing brown hares at this time of year makes it clear how the term came about. Springtime is their mating season, which spurs these usually wary animals to jump, scrap and dash about in a way that suggests they're as mad as, well, March hares. East Anglia's open fields are a hare's preferred habitat, and Welney Wetland Centre (wwt.org.uk; admission £8.45pp; members free) offers almost guaranteed sightings.

The reserve's elevated visitor centre looks across Lady Fen, where up to 60 wild hares reside. If you're lucky, you'll see them "box" as feisty females put amorous males in their place. Walk the reserve's nature trails, then warm up nearby at the Lamb & Flag (lambandflagwelney.co.uk).

For big skies

Burnham-on-Crouch by night (Brera London)
Burnham-on-Crouch by night (Brera London)

The latter part of the Crouch Valley branch line follows the tidal river that shares its name. In doing so, it provides easy access to this lonely stretch of Essex coast for a point-to-point walk between two stations. Ten miles of riverside footpath connect North Fambridge to Burnham-on-Crouch, where the low-lying landscape makes for epic skies and plenty of interesting wildlife.

Winter flocks of wading birds linger well into spring before migrating northwards. Look out, too, for harbour seals hauled out the mudflats to rest. The Anchor Hotel (theanchorburnham.co.uk) is a great start or end point, with pub lunches and pints served with waterfront views. The station half-way at Althorne, meanwhile, gives a handy opt-out should ten miles prove too challenging.

For hilly hikes

The Chilterns are perfect for heart-pounding hikes amid glorious scenery within an hour's drive from London. Spread across four counties, their patchwork of hills, woods and countryside are traversed by trails that are made for exploring. The pretty Oxfordshire village of Turville is an ideal place to start. Don't be surprised if it looks familiar: TV shows from Midsomer Murders to the Vicar of Dibley were filmed here.

Fortify yourself with lunch at the excellent Bull & Butcher (thebullandbutcher.com) before clambering up to the hilltop windmill or following any number of footpaths. Keep an eye on the sky for red kites (a large bird of prey) as you go. Then come back in May for the first ever Chilterns Walking Festival (visitchilterns.co.uk/walkingfest).

For battling bustards

Great Bustard male displaying to female on Salisbury Plain (Great Bustard Group)
Great Bustard male displaying to female on Salisbury Plain (Great Bustard Group)

The rolling terrain of Salisbury Plain is criss-crossed with footpaths and tank tracks. The Ministry of Defence owns much of this land, leaving huge swathes off-limits for military training. But at this time of year, the troops aren't alone in preparing for battle: great bustards, Europe's heaviest birds, are tussling for dominance. The mighty males, standing one metre tall, engage in ritual displays to intimidate rivals and impress the females.

Take a tour to see them with the Great Bustard Group (greatbustard.org; £15pp; daily except Mondays and Fridays), the agency behind the birds' reintroduction. Stop for lunch at the Swan Inn (theswanenford.co.uk), a historic, thatched pub on the River Avon, before striding out to discover more accessible parts of the Plain.

For tadpoles and tiddlers

Mild, damp nights in March see Britain's amphibians on the move as they seek out ponds and ditches in which to breed. Their tadpoles may be among highlights of a family pond-dipping session at Tyland Barn, near Maidstone in Kent (kentwildlifetrust.org.uk; 12 April; £15 for a family of five). Once the "dipping detectives" have discovered tiny creatures through microscopes, work up an appetite with a hike up the steep, wooded flanks of the adjacent North Downs.

The wonderful views from up here stretch over the Weald to the distant South Downs. Take it all in, then descend for a well-earned lunch at the Yew Tree Inn (theyewtreesandling.co.uk), where a 400 year old yew dominates the beer garden.