What can I say in praise of the bramble that hasn't already been said? It's surely the best and most accessible wild fruit to forage in the UK. They're almost ubiquitous in hedges, roadsides and scrubland, and you could quite feasibly pick a few kilos of them on a late summer's afternoon, returning happy with purple stained fingers (and probably a few grazes and cuts on your hands!)
Yes, harvesting them can be a thorny affair due to the sharp spines on the stalks, making the berries in the middle of the patch often frustratingly out of reach. The bramble patch behind our house grows to about 2 metres tall over an area of roughly 5m x 5m. It's a typical bramble bush and is thick with mature stalks covered in thorns (the more mature the plant, the bigger the thorns.) The side of the bush next to the public footpath is easily accessible, but also the most frequently picked by casual passers-by! As the gradually ripening berries come into condition, one needs to be quick to get them before others do, ie: first thing in the morning.
Romy, age 2, learning to pick brambles in the local patch behind our house
The challenge with most bramble patches is that they're usually part of a hedgerow and therefore only easily accessed from one side. Our home bush is typical in this respect, with a burn on one side and thicket of woodland/shrubbery on the other. However, last summer I was tormented by the clear sight of dozens of big, perfectly ripe, plump berries on the far side and was determined to find a way to get them. I walked in a big circle around the thicket and with some effort thrashed a path of sorts to get to the elusive brambles. I'm hoping that no-one else in our neighbourhood has the same idea, and that I can enjoy exclusive access to the back of the bramble patch!
I have fond memories of picking brambles last season with my daughter Romy, then 1 year old, strapped to my front in the baby carrier. We were nestled in at our exclusive spot at the back of the home patch with tupperware in hand. Romy was enjoying the front row view of the foraging and was simply helping herself to brambles from the tub as I filled it. It must've taken about twice as long to fill the tub but I didn't mind (and I scoffed a fair few myself!) We both returned to the house smiling, with purple stains around our mouths. She's since outgrown the baby carrier and is enjoying daily trips to pick brambles behind the house. Most of the time, we don't manage to bring any home, they get devoured there and then.