Grizedale Forest Ridding Wood Trail

On Friday I managed to get a loan car so after a month of being carless we are finally mobile again! I need to be able to drive places to work and my daughter relies on me to get her around. Today she wanted to get out into some of the beautiful forests we have so I took her to Grizedale Forest. We had a bit of a fraught drive over as poor Sherlock was sick and then just as we were about to board the Windermere car ferry it broke down! So we only made it to the forest about 2:15 and then had a long wait to buy lunch.

All the delays meant that we only had time to follow the shorter Ridding Wood Trail and not the Grizedale Tarn Trail I had done in July. Luckily for us the weather stayed dry and at times it was pretty warm in the sun:

The route included plenty of Grizedale's famous art works. With it being all terrain route it also included a family orienteering route for younger children:

Use your local forest to cheaply entertain the children this summer

Sponsored Post

I had this timely press release from the Forestry Commission this week:

New Survey Reveals Parents ‘Dread the Cost of Summer Holidays’

Families are being invited to enjoy public forests this summer, after a new survey shows parents dread the cost of entertaining their children during the school break.

A Forestry Commission study has revealed that in the average family, parents spend nearly £4,800¹ (£4,762.66) each year on keeping their children entertained.

Nearly half (48%) admitted they dread the cost of occupying their children each summer, when the costs of entertaining them rises by nearly £60 (£59.96) each week compared to during term time.

Researchers found that items like attraction tickets, toys, computer games and sports activities mean most mums and dads will part with around £400 (£396)² each month in the year to keep the kids from becoming bored.

If the cost of family holidays is factored in, when the average British family takes two holidays per year, this rises to an average of nearly £630 (£626.50) per month or a total of £7,500 (£7,517.84) a year.

Rather than spending money on expensive excursions or indoor activities this summer, the Forestry Commission is urging parents to look to their local forests as a one stop shop for all kinds of exciting activities.

Contrary to popular belief, half of the population of England lives six miles from the nearest forest and the Forestry Commission wants more people to treat the country’s public woodland spaces as their very own playground.

Josephine Lavelle from the Forestry Commission said: “You don’t have to spend hundreds of pounds to keep your children occupied this summer as there is one place that combines all the fun of an adventure park, wildlife attraction, science centre and art gallery where admission for all is free* - your local forest.

“It is concerning to see that so many parents dread the prospect of financing their children’s entertainment through the summer holidays and it doesn’t have to be this way.

“A day out to one of the Forestry Commission sites makes the most of the summer holiday without breaking the bank as forests can be visited again and again and enjoyed in a variety of ways.

“Rather than worrying about spending money on games consoles or expensive theme parks, taking your children into the forest shows them how much fun it can be to play outdoors, climbing trees, enjoying bike rides, exploring nature and using their imagination.”

The survey also revealed that 78% of parents felt guilty for not having as much time as they would like with their children and 45% said they would find it difficult thinking of ways to keep their child entertained.

Lack of money prevented 40% of parents from doing more to entertain their children, while a further 38% blamed their hectic workloads and 32% said they were simply too busy.

Frequent visitors can also save money on trips to the forest by using the Forestry Commission’s Discovery Pass, which offers generous discounts on parking, shopping and activities, along with a seasonal e-newsletter packed with forest news and events.

The survey results have been generated in a survey commissioned by the Forestry Commission of 2,000 parents of school-aged children. Click here to view the full survey.

* Forestry Commission sites are free to visit but parking charges may apply at different locations. The National Arboretum at Westonbirt is the only Forestry Commission site which charges for entry and until 30 September costs £8 per adult and £7 per concession, with children going free between 20 July and 1 September and paying £3 until 30 September..

1 From Forestry Commission Cost of Entertaining Survey 2013. Calculated by adding the amount spent by parents on activities each month to the 29% per week additional spend over the six week break plus two visits per year to attractions, where the average cost for a family of four is £142.56

2 Calculated by adding up the amount spent on activities each month and adding the cost of the amount spent on attractions, divided into 12 monthly instalments.

I know that I will be heading up to Whinlatter during the holiday to make use of the great outdoor space up there! Why don't you head out to your local forest?

#CountryKids An Early Spring Day at Whinlatter #WeLoveForests

We haven't managed a trip up to Whinlatter since the autumn as my car and winter roads aren't a good combination. Today was finally a chance to get up there as the snow has old cleared from the roads and its warm enough not to be icy. The children had missed the Wild Play area and I had missed the whole outdoor relaxation. Here are some photos to show what we got up to today:

Playing in Wild Play

Gravel Fun

Bird spotting and Whose Egg trail 

Following a trail looking for evidence of red squirrels

Loving mix nature and adrenaline (wish that was our bike!)

If you want evidence that my children had fun today here are their happy faces:

So make the most of this sunny spring and wrap up warm and head off to your nearest forest. 

Forest Learning for International Day of Forests 2013

March 21st is the International Day of Forests:

The United Nations wants an annual celebration of the world's forests to highlight why we need to protect them. This is their promotional video:

In England the Forestry Commission are responsible for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woods and forests and increasing their value to society and the environment and are therefore keen to get more people using our forests and learning from them and with them. 

Therefore on March 21st they are hosting over 30 events including:

• a land skills event for a college group in Whitwell, Derbyshire
• shelter building activities for 80 eight year old pupils at Whinlatter Forest in Cumbria
• local primary schools in Kent are visiting Bedgebury Pinetum to go on an endangered tree walk
• working with a Scout group in Bartley Green, near Birmingham, to help them work towards their Forester badge
• taking a 6^th form group with profound multiple learning difficulties on a sensory trail at Westonbirt, the Forestry Commission’s National Arboretum.

Sir Harry Studholme, Forestry Commission Chair, said;

“Trees and woodlands are important to all of us. They frame our landscapes and shape our environment. Our quality of life, even the air we breathe is enhanced by our trees. The timber in our woods impacts not just the natural but also the built environment. Our buildings and our furniture are showcases to the versatility of wood.

“The Public Forest Estate in England is a fantastic platform for the Forestry Commission to show the best of what can be done with forestry. How we manage our nation’s forests sustainably and safeguard them for the future: Leading the way in demonstrating how forests are an important part of the economy and good for the environment, while at the same time a space for people to enjoy themselves and experience nature.

“World Forestry Day promotes awareness of the value of forests across the globe. The learning resources launched today give information on the protection of, production and recreation of forests reminding us about how important they are. What better day to join in the celebrations and launch our new approach to learning!”

They want to highlight more of what the forest can offer not just as a nice place to visit but that they are a great learning resource. I am certainly looking forward to trying out some of their family downloads when we next get up to Whinlatter. 

There is so much on offer for people of all ages which is nicely shown with this handout:

There is so much more to do and learn in the forests so get on to the Forestry Commission site to find your nearest forest and find out what they have to offer you, your family or your school! 

A Wet Day at Whinlatter

We didn't let rain stop us from a return visit to Whinlatter today. Having received our Ambassador car pass we roped in my parents and some visiting relatives to come along with us. Despite the rain the car park was pretty full with people of all ages wrapped up against the wet!

First of all we warmed up with hot drinks in Siskins cafe:

Then we headed out to the Wild Play area for some fun that the grown ups joined in too! Some equipment was a bit too wet for the kids but there was plenty that wasn't:

Some of the favourite parts where were the family had to work as a team to either make water flow or stop. The children didn't seem to mind getting even wetter doing it:

Then all 3 generations had fun with the pulley systems on the gravel pit:

This was a mucky job but lots of fun and rewarding when the gravel came flying back out!



The rain meant that we all piled into one car to eat our picnics and couldn't use the nice new picnic area by the cafe. It amused the children to sit in the boot altogether. Afterwards we headed off to do a Squirrel Scurry and this time actually found squirrel no 6:

Another quick session in Wild Play was followed by a final round of hot drinks in the cafe. Everyone agreed that it had been a great day despite the weather and that we will be back soon. There will be some hits of the Forestry Commission website to find out which forests are nearer to other people's homes.






get the InLinkz code

The Forestry Commission - Blogger Ambassadors #weloveforests

Sponsored Post

My children and I were very lucky to be chosen as Blogger Ambassadors for The Forestry Commission. The forest we are to be Ambassadors for is Whinlatter Forest Park near Keswick which is about an hour from home via a wonderful drive through the Lake District National Park. We have previously visited Grizedale Forest and loved it so were very keen to see what Whinlatter has to offer.

It is the only true mountain forest in England and its quite a twisty and steep road to get there but its worth it for the clear, fresh air and stunning views. For the purposes of our visit we were supplied with a car parking permit and plenty of activity leaflets to try. 

The first suggestion from the ranger was to go and spend time in the new Wild Play children's play area. This has been built along paths and in clearings in the forest so that its nicely spread out and you get a walk in between sections! In the words of my children it was epic, mense and awesome. They would have stayed in there all day if I'd let them! This is a taste of what is on offer:

There was a real range of activities for most children to be able to have fun with. The whole thing is well designed with plenty of seating for supervising adults as you went round! Even though there were a fair number of children around they didn't have to wait too long for a turn on things.

Then it was on to the Squirrel Scurry which a £1 trail around the forest which takes about 45 minutes. My 8 year old was in charge of map reading on this one though I did have to double check and correct some of her directions! The trail takes you in search of a number of squirrels (either carvings or plaques) and you need to look out for the answers to questions from information boards as you go. A fascinating and fun way to explore the forest and find out more about these lovely animals - just a shame we didn't see a real one...

After our exertions of the morning it was time to retire to Siskins Cafe to sample the lunches on offer. Under advice from the ranger we got there early as its very popular and the only place to buy food in the forest itself. We were lucky to have lunch included for our day and this it what we chose:

The children's hot meals were a very reasonable £2.90 and as you can see they make it all look fun! My hot baguette was around £5 and I was nearly tempted to have a warming soup at £4 instead. The cakes were all just over £2 each and very yummy... Whilst we were eating we had time to get a really close look at the local birds who had no fear about coming close in search of a bite to eat:

With energy levels restored and the nice clean loos made good use of we went to check out one of the things the forest is most popular for - mountain biking. Unfortunately my 2 aren't yet competent enough to tackle the rather challenging courses available in the forest but they were impressed by the many cyclists who were! There are plans (subject to permissions and funding) to put in a new cycle route suitable for families with tracks usable for trailer bikes etc. It would be great if this goes ahead soon. Meanwhile we will leave the biking to the experts:

Instead we headed out onto the Tracks Trail (£1 from the shop). This time it was my 5 year old in charge of the directions. A slightly longer trail it takes about an hour and goes to different parts of the forest to the Squirrel Scurry. The trail has 10 posts to find each with an actual sized footprint to guess what made it. There are clues on the back of the sheet to help. Another fun and educational walk with more stunning views to enjoy:

On this occasion we didn't see too much of the range of wildlife that lives in the forest. At the information centre they had a list of the animals currently spottable but we only saw birds and butterflies (probably due to the amount of noise we made!). It will be a challenge to go back and try and find more of the local creatures. The cameras in the visitor centre are a great way to see some of the shyer ones:

In all we were at the forest for a total of 6 hours and would have stayed longer if it wasn't for the drive home. I can't wait to go back again and take better hiking boots so we can try one of the walking trails. On a sunny autumn day it was just the perfect place to be as a family. Watch out for more posts as we go back to visit again over the next year to see what else we can do. 

In just over a year my daughter will be 10 and I've promised her a joint birthday trip on Go Ape. Just hoping I am will be brave enough having seen it in action yesterday:

Have you visited your local forest lately?