A day at Alice Holt Forest, Surrey

Over the Easter holidays we spent a lovely day with friends at Alice Holt Forest near Farnham in Surrey. Alice Holt is free to visit with a small charge for parking, and there is lots to do to keep the whole family entertained.

The first thing that we saw on arrival was a sign to the Gruffalo sculpture, and so that was where we headed first. Along the way we found the Gruffalo's Child, then we discovered the Gruffalo himself sharing a clearing with Stick Man - the children were delighted!

From the 24th April 2017 there will be a Gruffalo Spotters Trail in the forest along with an augmented reality app for your smartphone - something for us to look out for on our next visit!

The children spent lots of time playing in the forest, collecting sticks and using them to dig in the ground. There were some bridges already built across ditches, and dens that they could play in and add to. Along the paths there were lots of information signs aimed at children with plenty of information about the forest sights and things to look for. They loved running along the forest paths and easily kept themselves entertained.

There are several trails through the forest to choose from in varying lengths, so you can choose the one that suits your family best. We particularly enjoyed the Habitat Trail, which featured large wooden play frames every few hundred metres. Among other things there was an owl with a pole inside to slide down, a huge woodpecker that they could climb up inside and a pile of large wooden tunnels to crawl through. There was also a great playground and picnic area, and you can rent bicycles to explore some of the longer trails.

I made a little video showing some of the fun that we had during our visit to Alice Holt, I hope that you enjoy it!

Entry to Alice Holt Forest is free, with a small charge for parking. As a Forestry Commission blogger I received a free parking voucher.