Little E has been displaying traits similar to a caged animal recently so we have been attempting to get her out and about as much as possible to negate this behaviour.
This weekend we went for a jaunt in the woods with Nanna. She lives close to Alice Holt Forest in Farnham who currently had a fantastic trail based on the Julia Donaldson book The Gruffalo's Child.
The trail is set on a pram friendly course with a wide path but with a few slopes. Along the course are a series of logs which have activities related to the book and the forest on. You can buy a trail guide for £2 from the cafe which makes the activites more interactive but it isn't necessary.
High up in the trees there are Gruffalo symbols which you need to spot to complete part of the activity pack. Just make sure your kids look where they are going rather than looking up all the time!
Along the route are a series of wooden animal sculptures which don't relate to the book but they are a lot of fun and the kids can climb in/on them.
Warning for adults attempting to climb te woodpecker sculpture - it is incredibly tight inside!!! I was lucky not to get stuck but we made it up to the top and back down again (eventually).
At the end of the trail you find the Gruffalo and the Gruffalo's child. Little E was very excited but expected them to be bigger!
For an extra surprise the rest of the characters from the book were hidden in the woods as we exited the trail. Little E insisted on hugging them all despite us having to go off road and navigate a small stream with muddy banks to reach them!
There were a few slips and our gloves ended up in the stream but we got to them all eventually (apart from Owl who was high up in a tree).
The trail took us about 90minutes which is plenty for little legs. Little I was quite happy in her pram and particularly enjoyed dog watching!
The Gruffalo's Child Trail is on until 28th February 2015 at forests across the country. It is free to take part (optional £2 activity leaflet) but you need to pay to park. Find our more at forestry.gov.uk
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