Countryside Treasures: Foraging and Seed Collecting in North Wales

Step into the rhythm of the seasons and enjoy nature’s harvest on your doorstep of Acorn Leisure Holiday Parks.

As summer fades and autumn’s golden tones begin to sweep across the hills of North Wales, the countryside comes alive in a new way. At Maes Mynan Park and Misty Waters Holiday Park, both nestled in the heart of Flintshire’s rolling landscapes, the hedgerows and woodland footpaths offer a rich harvest for those who like to slow down, wander, and notice the small seasonal treasures nature provides.

Whether you’re a holiday homeowner on one of Acorn Leisure Holiday Parks, a weekend visitor, or a local resident, late summer and early autumn are the perfect times to gather seeds, forage for edible treats, and collect little mementos that connect us more deeply with the natural world

Seeds of the Season

Collecting seeds is not just about gardening; it’s about preserving memories of place and time. Along country walks around Maes Mynan Park or Misty Waters Holiday Park, you’ll find an abundance of native plants setting seed. With a little care and patience, you can take home a piece of the landscape to sow again next year.

• Wildflowers: Look for seed heads from red campion, cow parsley, and knapweed along hedge banks and verges. Around the edges of rough ground, you will find poppy heads, buddleia and teasels. Collect carefully in a paper bag and label them to sow in spring. These wildflowers are perfect for creating your own mini wildflower patch at home, echoing the meadows, parkland and hedgerows around Maes Mynan in Afonwen and Misty Waters Holiday Park in Lloc.
• Grasses: Late summer grasses are stunning in their own right. Collect seeds or simply cut a few stems to dry as part of a natural arrangement indoors.
• Trees: Keep an eye out for acorns, beech masts, and sycamore seeds. Squirrels may get to them first, but it’s a delight to try growing your own sapling as a reminder of countryside walks.

Hedgerow Harvests

Foraging in North Wales is as much about tradition as it is about taste. The hedgerows around Caerwys, Afonwen, Lloc and beyond, are brimming with seasonal abundance at this time of year.

• Blackberries: Juicy and ripe from August into September, they’re the quintessential hedgerow fruit. Perfect for crumbles, jams, or simply snacking on as you wander.
• Elderberries: These tiny purple-black berries are a powerhouse for cordials and syrups. Best cooked, never eaten raw, they’re wonderful for immune-boosting remedies.
• Hazelnuts: If you’re lucky enough to beat the squirrels, you might find a scattering of hazelnuts along footpaths around Maes Mynan and throughout the Clwydian Range.
• Rose hips: Their ruby-red fruits brighten the hedgerows and can be turned into syrups rich in vitamin C – a timeless countryside tradition.
• Sloe Berries: Best known for making sloe gin, these tart berries also work well in jams and jellies when combined with sweeter fruits.
• Crab Apples: Perfect for crab apple jelly, chutneys, or as a natural source of pectin to help set other jams.
• Damsons: These small, dark plums are rich and tangy, ideal for preserving, baking into tarts, or making damson gin.
• Rowan Berries: Traditionally cooked into rowan jelly to serve with game or cheese – their bitter flavour mellows beautifully when sweetened.
• Hawthorn Berries (Haws): Often turned into jellies, syrups, or even hawthorn ketchup; they’re also valued in herbal traditions for heart health.

Note of Caution: Always be sure of your identification before picking any wild berries and remember that many are best eaten cooked. If in doubt, leave it out – and enjoy the gathering as part of the experience.

Nature’s Keepsakes

Sometimes it’s not about eating, planting, or preserving – it’s simply about gathering beauty.

• Pine cones and conkers: These autumnal classics are irresistible for both children and adults. Pine cones can be dried and used for winter firelighters, while conkers are a nostalgic reminder of childhood games.
• Coloured leaves: The trees around Maes Mynan shimmer with golds and russets in early autumn. Collect a few to press between the pages of a book – a simple, timeless way to capture the moment.
• Feathers: Often found along footpaths and fields, a feather can be a small token of the wildlife you share your walk with.

Bringing the Outdoors In

Not every countryside treasure needs to be eaten or planted – some are perfect for decorating your home. The russet browns of sorrel, the sculptural shapes of teasels, the delicate skeletons of cow parsley seed heads, and the soft movement of grasses make beautiful, long-lasting arrangements when gathered on a countryside walk.

A simple bundle placed in a tall vase can transform a hallway, kitchen, lodge, or holiday home living space, into something both elegant and romantic. These natural finds carry the memory of a walk, or the soft breezes over Maes Mynan Park’s meadows, or the hedgerows near Misty Waters Holiday Park, making them more than just decoration – they’re a connection to place and season.

It’s a mindful way of creating beauty: gathering what nature offers, arranging it with care, and enjoying the textures and earthy tones that bring warmth indoors as autumn approaches. Each stem tells a story of the countryside just outside your door.

A Mindful Countryside Walk

Foraging and seed collecting are about more than the harvest; they’re about slowing down and noticing. A stroll around Maes Mynan Park’s footpaths, or the Clwydian Range hillsides, offer a chance to reconnect with the rhythm of the seasons. Each acorn, berry, or seed pod is a reminder of the beauty that thrives in this special corner of North Wales.

Folklore of the Hedgerows

For centuries, the hedgerows of North Wales have been more than a source of food – they’ve been steeped in story and tradition. Every berry, nut and seed seems to carry a tale:

• Blackberries: Said to be off-limits after Michaelmas (29th September), when folklore warned the devil spoiled them – though in truth, autumn damp makes them mouldy.

• Elderberries: The elder tree was believed to house the “Elder Mother,” a protective spirit, making it bad luck to cut without her permission.

• Hazelnuts: Symbols of wisdom in Celtic myth, with legends of sacred hazel trees whose nuts bestowed knowledge and inspiration.

• Hawthorn (Haws): Known as the “May Tree,” linked with love and protection; its berries were carried as charms against bad luck.

• Rowan Berries: Thought to guard travellers from harm, earning the rowan its nickname, the “wayfarer’s tree.”

These old beliefs add a romantic layer to every foraging walk. As you gather berries or admire seed heads, you’re retracing the steps of countless generations who also found meaning, magic and sustenance in the same hedgerows.

A Teasel Tale (and a Rowan Berry Aside)

The spiky seed heads of teasels carry a surprising history: their stiff, hook‑tipped forms were once essential tools in the woollen cloth industry. Known as “fuller’s teasels,” these dried heads were woven into wooden frames or cylinders to gently raise the nap on wool fabric—a process called “gigging” or “raising”—yielding a soft, even finish that metal tools simply couldn’t match 

Even today, a few traditional weavers prefer teasels over modern alternatives because if the plant tool meets serious resistance, it simply breaks—it won’t rip the cloth as a metal comb might.

But teasels are more than industrial relics: as their seed heads dry and hold tight through winter, they become a vital feast for wild birds—especially the goldfinch, which balances deftly to pick out the nutritious seeds

It’s a beautiful layer of nature’s cycle—what once combed wool now feeds birds in the quiet months.

On a related note, rowan berries—traditionally gathered for jelly—also play a quiet role in folklore. In Celtic tradition, the rowan tree was believed to ward off evil, earning the nickname “wayfarer’s tree.” Even beyond their culinary use, these berries have stood as guardians on hedgerows and paths through North Wales for centuries.

Top Tip: Handling Teasels

If you’re tempted to gather teasels for an arrangement, remember they’re as spiky as they look! Always use a good pair of gardening gloves and secateurs to cut the stems. It’s best to do the trimming and arranging outside on a bench or table, so any loose seeds fall outdoors rather than inside your holiday home. Once in place, they’ll add height, texture, and a sculptural quality to your vase displays – without leaving prickles where you don’t want them.

A Few Gentle Tips:

• Forage responsibly – take only what you’ll use and leave plenty for wildlife.
• Use paper bags or envelopes for seed collecting, not plastic, to keep seeds dry.
• Always make sure you know your plant before eating – when in doubt, leave it out.
  

Late summer and early autumn are seasons of abundance in North Wales. At Maes Mynan Park, the countryside offers not only a feast for the senses, but also a chance to create lasting connections with nature. So take a basket, pull on your walking boots, and see what countryside treasures you can discover this season. Misty Waters Holiday Park, offers the same opportunities around country lanes and footpaths, all it takes is motivation to explore what is on the doorstep of your holiday home retreat, wherever it is based. 

Owning a Holiday Home in the Heart of Nature

One of the joys of holiday homeownership at Maes Mynan Park and Misty Waters Holiday Park is the chance to enjoy these seasonal treasures year after year. From late-summer blackberry picking to autumn walks lined with golden leaves, the North Wales countryside becomes part of your everyday leisure.

With your own countryside retreat, you can step straight into foraging walks, seed collecting, and woodland wanders whenever the mood takes you. Acorn Leisure’s Holiday Parks offer more than just beautiful lodges and static caravans – they give you a gateway to nature, wellbeing, and a slower pace of life in some of Flintshire’s most idyllic settings.

If you are looking for a countryside holiday home in North Wales that offers a 12-month holiday season, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to show you around our special locations. info@nullacornleisure.com | 01352 720808.

Thanks goes to DJ (one of Maes Mynan Park’s holiday homeowners) for the leading photograph of blackberries & her butterfly in the last image.