On our way to Elveden, we drove through the most gorgeous section of forest, and decided that we should go back there, quickly, before the sunset. So we bought cheese, ham, and olives, and found a place in that forest to park and eat our picnic in our car (it was really cold out!) We took a family portrait, and enjoyed our lunch.
Slightly warmed by the meal, we headed out to take a walk and check out the little forest. I had to get some pictures of the beautiful colors, too.
And that’s when things started getting magical…
Look at this forest. 
Somehow, it was hard to believe that we could even be there. And then we looked down, and discovered that we were surrounded by bright little Amethyst Deceivers.
These mushrooms are one of a very few that I am confident enough about identifying and eating. And there they all were! We found a bag and the three of us began collecting. We only took the larger ones, and left more than we picked.
Still, we brought home a serious bounty.
Look at the great colors! The middle photo is from the next morning, when they began to dry out and got pale. Then, they went into the pan for brunch (with this recipe!)
When we had finished picking, we made the most of the dwindling afternoon light, and walked some more.
It was all just so beautiful, in a magical sort of way. We heard foxes barking (Jeff even saw them, too!) and the most interesting bird calls.
We were cold, but there was so much to see, and the sun would set soon enough.
I thought of so many fairy tales set in forests, and they made so much more sense to me… And we were alone there. I guess there’s enough magic around here for everyone to have a walk in the forest without seeing anyone else.
And then it was too cold, too dark, and we had to go.
But as we drove away, we still couldn’t believe it had all been real. This kind of magic just seems so easy in Autumn… We’ll be sure to get out there again soon, before all the leaves have fallen.
Have you found some Autumn Magic yet?
(This post was shared at Thank Your Body Thursdays and Small Footprint Fridays.)
Thanks for sharing this. England seems so magical at times. x
Alexa, I have to agree with you! I think something that makes these sorts of spontaneous discoveries possible is that roads are not as removed from the landscapes as they are in many places in the US. Pulling over somewhere interesting just seems so much more possible/ easy here. I keep wondering why or how we didn’t have these kinds of experiences in the US, and I do think it has to do with the highways and infrastructure…
Gorgeous photos! I wish we had forests like that in Florida! Just lovely!
-Kristen
Thanks Kristen! But you’ll have to go enjoy a beach for me while we’re having all this “enchanted forest” weather!
I’ve driven through Elveden forest but never stopped. I love beech woods- they always seem to be the ones with bluebells in the spring.
What good luck to spot all those mushrooms- what a perfect end to a day out!
Hazel, I don’t know how, but we missed seeing any bluebell patches last spring. I knew they were around, but I guess we didn’t really look. This spring, we are going to make sure we don’t miss that gorgeous local phenomenon!
Lovely photos and foraging finds!
Thank you– we really got lucky with those mushrooms!
Wonderful. And I voted!
Hi Susan! Thanks for stopping by, and thank you so much for voting!
So beautiful! I love the roots twisting up from the ground and the bounty of little purple mushrooms! I love autumn.
Yes, it’s so much fun. I especially loved that a bunch of the mushrooms we brought home had their bases wrapped up in curled beech leaves.
Your pictures are full of Autumn feelings! Wonderful day!:)
Glad you enjoyed, Inese. The day did start out a bit ho-hum, and I’m so glad we found something so wonderful!
Oh my word! That blog was spectacular and at the same time made me insanely jealous! Where I live in Australia the nearest town is 110 kms away and it is such a dive no one ever goes there. After that the next town is 490kms away so needless to say we don’t visit there all that often.
The fact that you can just jump in your car and discover something new, a new market, a forest, a town etc to me sounds like one of the most amazing things in the world.
Tomorrow I am off to Thailand with the family and then solo to Taiwan and Vietnam so at least I get to do some exploring that way even if it takes 30 hours to get there!!
Wow, I really can’t imagine living somewhere so remote! What is the landscape like all around you? Trips to SE Asia full of exploration do sound like a reasonable exchange, though! Go swim in some warm tropical oceans for me, OK?
Aw! What a wonderful day! Beautiful photos and mood!
Thank you Christine! It was really sweet and unexpected…
*sigh*… lovely post. 🙂
Oh wow, makes me want to get out of the house right now and find me some forest!
What a lovely post, I miss all the colours of autumn now that the leaves are down. Those mushrooms really are quite a find. Well done on spotting them and being confident enough to cook them! Delighted you found Country Kids!
I love the family portrait.
Gorgeous pictures and colours.
Over from country Kids x
i adore visiting woods and forests and this one is a beauty! you have captured it so well through your photos and i love that you found and cooked the wild mushrooms. x
Absolutely beautiful photos. What a fantastic day!
Over from Country Kids
Looks like a great day.
Am loving the effect of the leaves in the first picture, and the close ups.
Visiting from Country Kids.
Beautiful photos. It sounds like a wonderful afternoon. You are very brave with the mushrooms, I’d love to be able to go foraging!
What beautiful photos
Thisdayilove
Sounds like a beautiful day. Love the pictures! They make me want to visit England!! I’ll get there someday. 🙂