The Gruffalo Trail

We thoroughly enjoyed doing the Stick Man trail last year, run by the Forestry Commission, so when I spotted that there’s currently a Gruffalo Trail on, I knew it was an adventure for us. As I imagine most household’s with preschoolers are, we are big Julia Donaldson fans here, and The Gruffalo is a book we probably know off by heart now. So it was with excitement that we embarked on our journey, kids armed with their magnifying glasses for the hunt!

The Gruffalo Trail

The Gruffalo Trail 1

The Gruffalo Trail 2

The Gruffalo Trail 3

The Gruffalo Trail 4

The Gruffalo Trail 5

The Gruffalo Trail 6

The Gruffalo Trail 7

The Gruffalo Trail 8

The Gruffalo Trail 9

So snake found, we knew there was only one more character to look for, so we headed onwards, ready and eager to spy the Gruffalo!

Boo admired him…

The Gruffalo 11

And Little Man? Well, you may just see him there, trying to climb his prickly back instead of standing next to him for a photo!

the gruffalo 12

The Gruffalo Trail 10

We had lots of fun with this. The children loved running from marker to marker and completing the various tasks, such as tip-toeing like the mouse, or stomping like the Gruffalo. We explored the forest and it was fun trying to find each of the characters. The kids love being outside, roaming and exploring anything at all, but it was great to have this extra element to our outing and I loved seeing their excitement each time they found an animal.

Have you been on the trail? Ours was at Birches Valley, Cannock Chase, but there are plenty about!

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

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39 thoughts on “The Gruffalo Trail”

    1. Jocelyn Reading

      It was at Birches Valley, Cannock Chase. Such a simple idea for outdoors fun, and my daughter loves that book!

  1. Glad you had a fun time, but you don’t say ‘which’ trail it is…. and they do vary greatly between woods.

    We’ve been on 2 – the Sherwood pines one when it first opened (awful) but the boards and activities were a similar layout to this (however no characters! not even a gruffalo to find as he didn’t arrive until a couple of months after it opened) and the fantastic Thorndon Country Park where every animal was made from wood (rather then a cutout) and also included the Gruffalo’s Child. Both reviews can be found on my blog.

    1. Jocelyn Reading

      Ah, it was Birches Valley. What a shame to have no animals hidden, though that second one sounds fab!

  2. Lovely photo’s Jocelyn. And we still haven’t been yet! Think I’m going to try when we go to Cornwall-Cardinham Woods will be a great spot to explore. And our nearest forest will have to wait a little longer ironically!

  3. The great thing about the Gruffalo is they never really outgrow it, my elder ones would have as much fun on a trail like this as my four year old. Off to find my nearest one now!

  4. This looks fantastic! We have just started reading the Gruffalo to our 4 month old so it will be a little while yet till we can take her along but great to know that it exists! it looks like your kids had great fun 🙂

  5. Both The Stick Man and The Gruffalo are wonderful adventures for the whole family! I can tell by the photo that your children had a wonderful time spotting all the characters of the story. What a wonderful Gruffalo as well, no wonder your son was trying to climb the prickles – it’s big enough to be a climbing frame for toddlers. Thanks for linking up and sharing your fun with Country Kids.

    1. Jocelyn Reading

      Yes, it should have been a climbing frame – he was quite tenacious trying to get up there! Thanks for hosting x

  6. That looks fab! We are big Julia Donaldson fans too, even though I don’t have preschoolers anymore (sob, he starts school in September!) We’ve not been on an official trail, but we have looked out for the animals on a trip to the woods before. There is also a brilliant Gruffalo display in the restaurant garden at the Children’s hospital (our second home)

  7. My son is on my lap when im am reading this post. He just recited out loud the Grufallo. I have to admit that I dont understand much of it but the ‘Theres no such thing as the Grufallo’. I wish we cango and visit this place as well =) #countrykids

    1. Jocelyn Reading

      Oh yes, and yet…there is! They’re dotted all over the country, so hope you find one near to you x

  8. I’ve been meaning to take Roo on this for ages now! Looks so much fun! We heard Julia Donaldson on the radio at the weekend too – quite funny when you realise that you belong to that demographic who instantly recognises her as a major celebrity!

  9. Pingback: Captivating Cannock Chase

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