We’re Going On A Blackberry Hunt
Today we went blackberry picking.
There’s something about foraging for blackberries that just brings me to life. Maybe it’s being out in the crisp, Yorkshire air. Maybe it’s scrambling up the fresh, green hills. Maybe it’s the memories of doing this exact same thing as a child.
Whatever it is, I highly recommend it to anyone who’s never tried.
Blackberry Picking Essentials
There’s a few things you’ll need before you can start.
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Some blackberry bushes!
Blackberry bushes are like Conker Trees – you just have to keep your eyes out through the year for a good patch.
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Plastic tubs
You’ll need something to pop your treasure in. The juice can stain so use old tubs if possible.
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Wet wipes
Blackberry juice is bright pink! Your hands (and probably everything else) will get covered in it.
The Best Spot In West Yorkshire
Now if you’re lucky enough to live in my beloved Yorkshire, I’m about to share a big secret with you! The absolute best blackberry picking spot you’ll ever find is in a little village called Briestfield in West Yorkshire.
You want to start at WF12 0PB where Briestfield Lane meets Healey Lane. Follow Sowood Lane all the way up the hill. Then head down past Healey Farm, and out onto the main road via Healey Lane. There are blackberry bushes lining the entire 1.2 mile route!
As an added bonus, you’re just a 5 minute drive away from Charlotte’s Ice Cream Parlour! There is a playground, a ride-on train, crazy golf, and of course, ice cream!
Family Time
Today we were blessed with really sunny weather. But we’ve been known to go with our coats buttoned up to our ears and our woolly hats on! It’s just nice to spend time as a family.
I’ve been going to that same spot since I was a kid, and have so many fond memories. I want to let my kids experience it and make their own magical memories.
We always compete to collect the most blackberries. It’s a tradition now. I LOVE that we have family traditions! It’s something special that’s just for our family; our own way of doing things.
And today my little 23 month old baby learnt the difference between black and red. By the end of the trip, she was an expert at finding the ripe berries (black) and ignoring the ones that weren’t ready yet (red). What a fun way to learn your colours!
Blackberry Picking Time
Anyway, if you fancy having a go yourself, you need to get your skates on! Google reliably informs me that the UK blackberry season is June to October.
Happy picking!
And let me know what you’re going to make. We’re planning a Blackberry and Pear Crumble! Yum!
Aww! I love blackberry picking! In fact, I’m collecting blackberry recipes for next week’s blog post hopefully you will have enough left. It is a lovely way to get out AND it’s free! #marvmondays
Oooh I’ll look forward to that! I think some primal instinct has caused us to pick enough blackberries to see us through the winter! Haha! And I’m with you – I love anything free! Thanks you for commenting. L
I use to love blackberry picking with my parents when I was a kid. We were lucky enough to live on a farm so always plenty of blackberry briars around. #bigpinklink
Ooh that sounds lovely! Thanks for your comment. L
The blackberries have been amazing this year. We’ve been picking baking and even blackberry printing with them. A great family outdoor activity. #MarvMondays
I’d never thought of printing with them before! We’re supposed to be doing fruit printing tomorrow at the mums and tots group I run. Maybe I’ll take a few along with me!
Ooooh I used to love blackberry picking as a child, I have such fond memories of it. We never did painting with them though fab idea, it was always blackberry and apple crumbles for us, predictable eh xx #marvmondays
Blackberry and apple is a classic! Yum! Thanks for commenting. L
I love that you have been blackberry picking in this same spot for years and it’s become a family tradition. We’ve not done blackberry picking but we enjoy doing strawberry picking in the summer. Have fun making your crumble 🙂 xx #bigpinklink
I tried to go strawberry picking this year but I wasn’t organised enough and we missed the season! Oops!
It looks gorgeous! I have never done it but it looks like a nice family day out! #TwinklyTuesday
I’m not much of a photographer but it was a lovely day! Thanks for leaving a comment. L
I’ve never been blackberry picking but we did go strawberry and raspberry picking a couple of months ago, it was lots of fun. x #twinklytuesday
Oh that sounds fun. I intended to take my girls strawberry picking this summer but when we arrived, it was closed for the season! Oops! Poor planning on my part. It’s one of the reasons I was determined to do blackberry picking.
We are big fans of blackberry picking in our house! THen my husband makes a huge apple and blackberry crumble – yum! I wish we were closer to Yorkshire to follow your trail though, the ice cream parlour and the ride on train sound fantastic!
I love crumble! Perfect ‘warming-up’ food 🙂
And the ice cream parlour really is lovely – it’s right on top of a hill and you can sit inside and see out for miles! Stunning! Thank you for commenting, L
We always used to go blackberry picking as a family, it was such fun then jam making #bloggerclubuk
I’ve never actually made jam. My friend who came with us on our hunt this year has made some jam with her haul. It looked yummy! Thank you for your comment. L
I’m from West Yorkshire too and we keep seeing lovely Blackberries on our family walks, we never have a suitable container with us to collect any though! #whatevertheweather
Haha yes we have this problem sometimes too! The number of times I’ve said to myself, “I wish I had a thought to bring some tubs with me!” Thank you for leaving a comment. L
We ADORE blackberry picking and it is very much a late summer early autumn tradition for us, especially as thee sre blackberry bushes everywhere where we live and we barely have to leave our street without getting a few handfuls, we have had so many already this year it must be a good year for them haha. Good tips though and definitely with the wipes, especially when your toddler likes chomping on them like ours does and getting juice all down her front… 🙂 #whatevertheweatherkids
There were lots around us too, although most of them were quite small ones. Oh yes wipes are essential – we generally all come home a lovely shade of puce! Haha
Love picking blackberries. Isn’t it brilliant foraging with the kids. My 22 month old knows the different between green and purple for spotting and picking figs!! #BloggerClubUK
We’ve never been blackberry picking but it’s something I would definitely love to do. Great that your little one learnt red and black too! I love anything that brings back childhood memories x
#Whatevertheweather
I love fruit picking, blackberry picking especially always make me think of times spent with my Grandparents when I was little- followed by baking a yummy apple and blackberry crumble with my Mum. This year we took our littles strawberry picking for the first time, I’m now feeling the need for a blackberry hunt very soon 🙂 Thank you for sharing with #bigpinklink xx
Looks tasty and a good yield too! Great idea with the kids as they can eat on the way 🙂 I use to love it, and looking forward to taking my little guy picking when he’s old enough
#Whatevertheweather
I absolutely love blackberry picking. I cant wait until my two are old enough to enjoy it!
#BloggerClubUK
We love berry picking! though more always ends up being eaten than in the buckets…. #whatevertheweather
Haha yes that’s always the problem! Thanks for commenting. L
This is so lovely, I love making new traditions with my own little family. We used to go blackberry picking with my grandparents when we were little and it was one of my favourite things to every summer. I loved the togetherness of it, and then eating a yummy crumble that my grandma made from them at the end of it. It sounds like a great new tradition to start with your little ones 🙂 Thanks for sharing this on #MarvMondays. Emily
Mmmm crumble is so yummy! Thank you for commenting. L
I love this time of year, and blackberries are a big bonus of the summer coming to an end. I love the idea of using it to teach Finn his colours. What a lovely day out for the whole family 🙂 #whatevertheweather
Yes I guess the blackberries are a consolation prize for the end of summer! Ha! Thank you for commenting. L
Oooh, delicious! We love blackberries too, it often helps get the boys to go a little further along the path by pointing out where the next blackberry bush is! I do try to pick some to take home, but they often get eaten before then. Greedy black faced little monkeys! That play area looks fab too btw. Thanks so much for linking up to #Whatevertheweather 🙂 x
Haha yes that’s the biggest challenge – not eating them all before you get home! Ah well, it’s all part of the fun!