"The trails are fun and entertaining not only for kids, but adults too, offering a great outdoor experience."
"Peaceful and beautiful forest with plenty of shade to spend a hot day in, perfect for a nature escape."
"Good flat walk round the gruffalo characters, easy family trail with a good walk."
"Plenty of space to stay safely socially distanced, a great place for kids to let off steam and explore."
"The walk is not too long for toddlers to manage, making it a perfect family activity."
"Paths are flat (can easily get a buggy round), making it accessible for families with young children."
"Great place for walking the dog or entertaining the kids, even on wet and windy days."
"Brilliant woods with Gruffalo characters, my 3 year old loved it."
Cons:
"Trail very small, could do with more characters from other books and activities to make it more appealing."
"The only downside is parking is expensive and there are no bins to put rubbish in."
"Short trail which was perfect for little legs. Some characters are well hidden, making it a bit challenging for young kids."
"It takes around 15 mins to see all of the trail. I was disappointed with it and not much to do around there from that."
"The Gruffalo trail appeared very run down; particularly the snake which is a shame."
"It's a forest but the trail itself is arranged in an easy-to-follow pathway which can be walked by a toddler somewhat unassisted, with minimal guidance."
"The trail itself is not too far and there are lots to explore on route."
"The gruffalo trail is excellent for children. Featuring beautifully carved and painted wooden sculptures of the characters from the story."
Parking and Accessibility
Pros:
"Blue Badge holders (if not from the local borough) must pay for parking, but can pay a special rate of £4.80 for 3+ hours."
"The car park was spacious and reasonably priced."
"There's plenty of car parking space and a nice cafe for coffee and ice cream etc."
"Plenty of parking. Although lot of people but it didn't feel overcrowded."
"Parking can be paid cash or card."
"Kids had loads of fun 😁"
"Parking seemed quite limited, as much as we found a space there were a few cars continuously driving around."
"Nice big open fields for kids to have a run around, Gruffalo trail is nice doesn't take too long and Characters are good quality."
Cons:
"Parking is expensive £4.40 for 3hrs."
"The only downside is parking is expensive and their are no bins to put rubbish in it states for you to take your rubbish home with you."
"Parking fee was £5.50 for 3 hours and the trail map was 70p from the visitors shop."
"The car park gets crazy with parents sitting waiting for spaces to come free."
"Parking is quite expensive. My kids loved running around following the map and finding the creatures."
"Parking is not free and they advise you to pay for 2 hours. This is £3.30."
"Parking was a little on the expensive side."
"Parking is very expensive none of the machines were accepting card payments, the online app was not working either."
Cafe and Gift Shop
Pros:
"The cafe was open for coffee and ice cream and there was an ice cream van in the car park."
"Cafe serves toasties and sandwiches and other snacks such as crisps and ice- creams."
"There's a fab picnic area with benches in the sun and shade, unfortunately no dogs."
"Great day out at the Gruffalo Trail with the kids who are ages between 2 and 8. There's plenty of car parking space and a nice cafe for coffee and ice cream etc."
"Better to get icecreams from the shop rather than the ice cream van as better value."
"A great day out overall."
"There's a shop at the entrance you can get refreshment, coffee and gifts with Gruffalo."
"Had a good range of gruffalo souvenirs"
Cons:
"Gift shop was overpriced but that's nothing unusual for spots like this!"
"The visitor center has basic food and drink options, come prepared with your own food as both quantity and options are limited."
"Also disabled toilets are accessible. Push chair and wheel chair friendly."
"Short trail which was perfect for little legs. Some characters are well hidden. Toilets, baby change and picnic facilities."
"The coffee shop was ok, but the staff were too busy talking amongst themselves for at least 3-4 mins before my wife was even acknowledged!!"
"However, the cafe and gift shop are run by volunteers so what is the money going on? Gift shop was also very expensive."
"Nice gift shop, a bit pricey on ice-lollies, needed a few more kiddy ices."
"Whilst the majority of the paths are easy for a pushchair it is still hard work as there are tree root poking up here and there."