The Gruffalo Spotters Trail at Bedgebury Pinetum

28.8.17


Last September we headed to our local Forestry Commission Bedgebury Pinetum, where we completed the Stick Man trail. This year however, we headed back to Bedgebury in search of someone a little bit bigger... The Gruffalo!

There are 26 Forestry Commission trails across the UK, all of which work in unison with The Gruffalo Spotter App. All you need to do is download the free app (it's best to do this at home, as most locations have limited service), and then hunt for the marker posts along the trail.

You can even pick up a little Activity Pack* in the Visitor Centre for £3. This contains an evidence collection bag, 5 fact and activity cards, Gruffalo character stickers, a special magnifying glass, and a pencil - all of which will help your little ones with the activities along the trail. We did pick one up for Indie and Parker to share, but at 3 and 2 they were probably most interested in the stickers. 



Armed with our activity pack, we were on our way! The trail is really well signposted, and there's definitely no chance of missing it or getting lost. There was even a little surprise at the start of the trail, as we came across The Gruffalo's Child.

The trail itself is a continuous woodland trail, but the animals to spot are split into 4 sections. There are 3 different sign post clues to find, which then lead you to the footprint marker posts. These are where you use the app to find the animals!

Your little ones will have to guess who is in the magnifying glass, spin a little wheel which is hiding 3 images, and then look through the 'binoculars' for the final clue. The activity packs contains a little booklet where they can fill in this information, and then once they've found the animal they can add the correct sticker too.





You'll come across Mouse, Fox, Owl and Snake before ending the trail with The Gruffalo himself. Unfortunately for us we did have trouble with the app on a number of the posts. It took a long time for the animal to load up before it gave you the option to take a picture, (not so handy with little ones who don't stand still for a picture anyway). We couldn't get the Snake post to work at all so missed out on a picture with him completely.

We also chose to visit the trail on a Bank Holiday Sunday, so it was extremely busy. This meant we often had to wait at each of the activities, as there were so many people completing the trail at once. This did kind of ruin the experience for Jack and I, but it was probably our own fault for picking a bad time to go. I'd probably recommend visiting midweek or early / late in the day to avoid this happening.






Overall though, we had a lovely time completing The Guffalo Spotters Trail. The walk through the woodlands was lovely, and despite a few hills it was perfect for the littles to wander around. The highlight for them was probably find The Gruffalo at the end of the trail. A perfect photo opportunity so don't forget your camera!

The trail and app are completely free (you just have to pay for the parking at your chosen location), so if you're looking for a fun family day the won't break the bank, it's definitely a great choice. Especially as Bedgebury has so many other activities such as cycling trails, Go Ape! and adventure play on offer too!



*We received expenses and products in exchange for our review. All opinions are honest and my own. Thank you to LittleLife for providing Parker's backpack, TU at Sainsbury’s for The Gruffalo wellies and John Lewis for the cuddly toy!

6 comments :

  1. I love the Gruffalo spotters trail! The app is great and we loved watching each character come to life!

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  2. These look so fun but there isn't anywhere near me! So gutted because my kids would love it!

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  3. This is a fab idea, lots of fun exploring

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  4. Big fans of The Gruffalo here, will have to see if there's any trails near us, lovely pics too x

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  5. This looks like such a fun activity, love the app for digital interaction as well as the activity pack to buy.

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  6. Alessia loves the Gruffalo , there's actually a free trail close to where we live but we still haven't been yet x Kira

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