The Gruffalo Trail at Westonbirt Arboretum

Driving through the countryside on Saturday we were reminded of the geocache trails that we’d done in the area a long time ago. Today we were back for another reason and that was to visit the Westonbirt National Arboretum and undertake the Gruffalo trail. Having seen a number of other bloggers do it we were tempted to give it a go ourselves.

We pulled into the spacious car park and as soon as we got out of our car were blown away by the landscape awaiting exploration. From the car park we also saw a bridge that looked so high up that called to our sense of adventure.  

Once inside the arboretum we discovered that the bridge led to the start of the Gruffalo Trail and along it were signs about the trees. My eldest tried to walk along the bridge by herself but was aware of the small gaps beneath her feet and with every step she took it seemed as if she was worried she may fall through. I'm sure she wouldn't have but stopping to see things from their point of view is beneficial if you want a trip to go well. 

Once safely across the bridge we spotted the start of the Gruffalo trail. We took out our Gruffalo activity pack we had bought for £3 at the entrance to the arboretum and quickly tried to work out what we were supposed to do. The pack contained a booklet, stickers and a small pencil which aided us through activities such as Identifying animal parts through a spinner to looking through a sign that was cut out in the shape of binoculars. Once we had gone through the first set of activities to identify one animal the same activities were used to discover the next and hubby soon realised there’s colour coordination so you can’t go far wrong. My children are both too young to do reading and writing activities but they are familiar with the book and with a little encouragement my eldest was able to tell us what each animal pictured on the sign was and identify the matching sticker. 

The trail was fairly flat so easily completed by buggy and on foot. There were points of interest such as a wooden figure along the way and we also spotted many bluebells that made the area have a magical appeal for young and old alike. 

I had assumed that the trail would have us end and start at the bridge but this was not the case. Instead we ended up several metres away from an old geocache that had been placed in 2003 and of course we had to claim a find on this one.

Then we headed back towards the main visitor centre where we could listen to hand held telephones and tap screens to hear about the trees and arboretum. We spent two hours at the arboretum in total but could have easily spent longer there had we packed our own lunch or dined out in the on-site restaurant.

If we were to return then I would have a look at what events are on for the family and also undertake the 

free family activity trail too. 

Have you been to the Westonbirt Arboretum?

We paid £20 in total to enter the arboretum (£10 each adult)and £3 for a Gruffalo Pack. Our children who are under the age of five got in for free. We thought that the adult passes were a tad expensive but assume the money goes to a good cause.