Salcey Forest Family Fun
Visiting Salcey Forest in Northamptonshire is something we do quite often, especially during lockdown. It’s an all year round inexpensive and fun few hours out of the house with the family.
‘This magnificent woodland has many miles of ancient wood banks, building remains and ancient trees. The ‘druids’, or veteran oaks, are rare and amazing wildlife habitats, and some of the old oaks are over 600 years old. See what you can spot on your visit to the medieval royal hunting forest.’
Things to do at Salcey Forest At A Glance
- 3 walking trails
- 1 cycling trail
- 1 horse riding trail
- Archery and axe throwing
- Play areas
- Picnic area
- Café – takeaway only
- Dogs welcome
A Map Of The Walking Trails At Salcey Forest
The Gruffalo Spotters trail
During our last visit we followed the Gruffalo Spotters trail. This is a free activity which is super fun for the whole family to take part in. Spot the signs and see what creatures you can find! With the amazing new Gruffalo Spotter 2 app, fun activity pack and trail, you’ll get to interact with all your favourite characters as you go in search of the Gruffalo in the deep dark wood.
The trail theme usually changes seasonally so it is worth checking out what event is on before you visit.
You can also purchase an activity kit, packed with fun things to do to help you spot the Gruffalo. Inside you’ll find:
- Gruffalo mask and paws
- Activity leaflet
- Crayon and pencil
- Nature spotters game and instructions
- Stickers
We didn’t buy the pack this time as you can complete the trail without it.
The Cafe
You can still buy refreshments from the cafe to take away with you or sit and enjoy in the picnic areas. Here are some photos of inside the cafe from a previous visit.
There is usually a good choice of home made meals and sweet treats on offer
Cuba and Coco on a previous visit with their activity packs
Cuba using the app on a previous trail
Final thoughts
- You have to pay for the carpark via a pay and display ticket machine and the prices are:
Up to 1 hour & Saturday Early bird (8am-11am) £2.00
Up to 2 hours £4.00
All day £6.00
- If you want to complete the Graffalo trail download the app at home prior to your visit as the mobile signals are very poor within the forest making it almost impossible to download the app.
- The forest is open every day except Christmas Day.
Seasonal opening times apply:
Winter GMT (Nov – Mar): 8am – 5pm
Summer BST (Apr – Oct): 8am – 9pm
- You can become an annual member and support Salcey Forest by joining today.
For £35 the membership includes:
- Free parking for a year, plus a range of great benefits and discounts with Membership to Salcey Forest.
- By becoming a member, you’ll help support the forests and maintain the facilities for you and your family to enjoy. You’ll also receive seasonal e-newsletters so you can discover more about local activities and events.
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Get 15% off per person at Go Ape
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Save 12.5% with Forest Holidays
We really do enjoy Salcey Forest whatever the time of year.
If you haven’t been and you are in the area I do recommend a visit.
Sending love,
Dana xx
This looks like a lovely place for a family walk 🙂 #mischiefandmemories
Author
It is such a special place xx
We haven’t been to Salcey Forest in AGES! It looks like you’ve been having so much fun there. The trails are great aren’t they. Your post has definitely inspired me to plan a visit again. Thank you for joining us for #mischiefandmemories xx
This looks like a lovely place to visit: so much to do! I think th idea of adventure trails and apps are a great way to keep kids entertained especially when little legs might start to get weary. Thanks for linking up with #MischiefAndMemories
Author
Yes I agree my kids love the mission aspect the app provides xx
You can’t beat a Gruffalo Trail – we’ve done a few with the kids & they love them! #mischiefandmemories
Author
Absolutely great family fun and for free! You can’t go wrong xx