Readers recommend wild beauty spots on the continent to enjoy blooms and blossoms in rainbow colours.

Winning tip – Meadows of Magura in Romania

For now, the south Carpathians in Romania are still in good health. Magura, a scattered village located along a ridge north of Bran Castle, demonstrates a simpler lifestyle that has not been common in Britain since 1930. Viper’s Bugloss, Yellow Rattle and Carpathian Pinks are only a few stars of these meadows.

HangingaRoo

Puglia’s Petals, Italy

A few miles from Monte Sant’Angelo on the Gargano peninsula in Italy, the rocky meadows demanded closer inspection: purples and mauves shimmered into the distance. The area is known for its large variety of orchids, explained a friendly fellow walker. He described the shapes, colours, and names that made them stand out: pink butterfly, naked man, bird’s nest, green-winged. We clambered up a gentle slope to see more common but equally beautiful spring blooms, such as grape hyacinths or yellow alyssum. The ubiquitous golden-centred rock roses looked like little fried eggs on the limestone escarpment. It was a magical stop on the way to the coast.

Wildflowers on Red Cliffs, Algarve in Portugal

Wildflowers can be found on the red sandstone rocks near Lagos, in the Algarve. In May, we saw many flowers that were unfamiliar to us. The lighthouse at Ponta de Piedade is the best place to start. From there, walk along the cliffs west. The prickly pear’s huge orange-red flower with a yellow centre and the wild agave are both stunning. The smaller flowers are also beautiful, such as the dwarf morning glory, Spanish oyster plant and mallow-leaved bindingweed. My partner, who lives in Lagos, found a paperback called Wild Flowers in the Algarve by Pat O’Reilly & Sue Parker (First Nature, £6.50).

Pindus mountains blooms, Greece

Thanks to their complex geological past and geographical isolation, the northern Pindus mountains are home to a rich biodiversity. Between April and mid-June, every surface is covered in blooms of every colour, from the rocky moonscapes to the verdant riverbanks. Annitsa is one of the most beautiful spots. It’s the site of a memorial to the 28 October 1940 battles that marked Greece’s entering the Second World War. You can also see Mount Smolikas and Mount Olympus, the highest mountains in Greece. Also, the eastern front of Pindus is visible, with its buttercups, narcissus and hyacinths. Many hotels and mountain lodges are available. Grevena is a 30-minute drive away and is known as “the city of mushrooms”. Wildflower season is a good time to pick mushrooms.

Fragrant Snow on Golica Mountain, Slovenia

The daffodils do not bloom before the swallow, nor do they bloom in March. They are too far from Britain’s mild climates, but they do cover the Golica, Slovenia’s Bare Mountain, with a fragrant “snow”. Around 120 Slovenian folk names are given to these delicately scented beauties, which is unusual for a plant of such little commercial value. Their beauty seems to have triggered such fantasies. Kljucavnica (meaning lock) is one of the most interesting folk names. The name is based on a local legend. Once upon a time, God prohibited bees from collecting honey on Sundays. God “locked” flowers so that the bees couldn’t access the sweet juice.

Before the Second World War, daffodils covered the entire mountain, but the “progress” of the 20th century diminished their natural habitat. A yearly daffodil celebration is held at Planina under the Golica.

Spring blossom, Sierra Nevada, Spain

The spring in the Sierra Nevada features a beautiful display of wildflowers and blossoms. Trek Sierra Nevada offers a variety of hiking trails that take you through gorges with hanging bridges, rivers, reservoirs, lavender and rosemary meadows, as well as fruit groves such as pomegranate and apricot trees, apples, and oranges. The scent is a part of the whole experience. The valleys are filled with the sound of goats’ bells.

Living Art Gallery, Lake Constance in Germany

Early last May, we stepped onto Mainau Island in Lake Constance. The tulips, in a wild display of colour, cascaded down the grassy slopes like bright splotches on a Jackson Pollock canvas. In a shaded glade, we picnicked amid an impressionist iridescence made up of primroses. Bluebells and daffodils. Grape hyacinths, crocuses, and other flowers formed a mauve pointillist painting in the distance. This floral island is easily accessible via rail from Konstanz or scenic boat ride.

Rhodope Mountains kaleidoscope, Bulgaria

We visited this area in southern Bulgaria in May last year. The distant peaks still had snow on them, but the wildflowers were everywhere. We walked across meadows that were dotted with yellow dandelions, cowslips or buttercups. Others were shaded purple from hundreds of grape hyacinths or dog violets. The orchids were also present, as were scores of other plants along the track edges, beside the streams, and in clefts of the rocks.

Flowers of the Atlantic – Sao Miguel Azores

On the drive to Furnas from our apartment on the coast, we saw wild roses growing from rocks, pink jewels perched on green mossy banks, yellow meadow flowers and wild garlic, and white lilies (not working at all and safe from cows that share their fields) and camellias in every colour, their petals blazing with verdant foliage. We hiked in the woods, along fertile levadas, and over grassy hills covered with heather. The azaleas, camellias and other flowers that sprung to life everywhere dotted each scene with colour and life. We stayed in Quinta de Milhafres, near Vila Franca de Campo along the south coast of Sao Miguel.

Linda Marie

Crocuses at Dolina Chocholowska in Poland

Dolina Chocholowska is home to a lively little group of crocuses. The crocuses of Dolina Chocholowska begin to bloom as soon as the winter snows in Poland have melted, sometimes even when there is still a layer of white stuff covering the valleys below the Tatras. In April and May, you can see their heliotrope petal bursting between the log houses and fir trees of the Zakopane mountain range. You can catch the best views if you arrive early in the morning and watch the sun rise over Kominiarski Wierch, Mount Bobrowiec and the serrated tops.

Bolkonsky

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