Baby in Bucks is a guide to entertain the tiny people of Bucks and their adults. Follow our adventures whilst we seek out the best baby and toddler friendly walks, activities and lunch spots in Bucks and surrounding areas.
Is there anything more Autumnal than wrapping up warm and going for a walk in the woods? Kicking up the leaves, hunting for mushrooms and stopping for a hot chocolate. There are so many beautiful woodlands in Bucks and Berkshire. In fact Burnham Beeches is one of the finest ancient woodland tracts in Britain.
Basildon Park is a beautiful National Trust property in Berkshire, near Reading. On first glance you might think there’s not much for the kids here, but let me show you what we discovered! When you first arrive there are a couple of ball trails near the entrance which the kids loved! But if you head up the hill to the woods there is a much bigger play trail to discover. They no longer advertise it because it isn’t maintained. It used to be called the Wild Play Trail and several parts of it still remain.
During the first lockdown last year we visited Common Wood for our walk nearly every day in search of bluebells. We must have walked nearly every path in the wood until we eventually found the most incredible spot for bluebells. The walk we found is covered in a carpet of bluebells and takes you to the bottom of a field of horses. Here’s how to find it.
Today we were invited to the incredible new adventure playground Tumblestone Hollow at Stonor Park and we LOVED it! Stonor Park was the first place we visited our of lockdown last year and the grounds are so beautiful. The addition of Tumblestone Hollow makes it the perfect family day out.
*THIS HAS NOW CLOSED PERMANENTLY**
The monsters of Widmer End have relocated and found a new home at the Monster Zoo. Local farmer AJ has given the monsters a home at the forest school on his land. You’ll find over 70 monsters in the Monster Zoo, with new additions being added all the time. Plus there’s an added bonus of them being next to a field of pigs with some gorgeous little piglets.
We took the opportunity to combine our daily walk with a visit to Home Roots charity stall in Flackwell Heath to pick up some of their incredible sausage rolls. At the stall you’ll also find carrot cake and soup, but you need to get there early as it sells out quickly! The walk itself is full of incredible views, a field full of sheep and woodland.
Sometimes it takes a lockdown to make us slow down and appreciate the local walks that surround us. If you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know I love to fit in loads of activities every week! I’m also quite happy driving up to an hour to get there, so we end up here there and everywhere. As the tier 4 guidance is to stay local we’ve been having lazier mornings and getting out for a walk or trip to the park in the afternoon. Today we went to Hodgemoor Woods which is between Amersham, Chalfont St Giles and Seer Green.
Burnham Beeches is one of my favourite buggy friendly walks. The ancient woodlands are beautiful and there’s plenty to keep little ones entertained along the way too. Some of the trees at Burnham Beeches are several hundred years old!
As more places are starting to open up I thought it would be useful to share some ideas for places to visit this August in Bucks and surrounding areas.
Who knew there were fields full of alpacas in Great Missenden? There is a lovely short walk you can take through the alpaca fields which you can combine with cake and coffee at Peterley Manor Farm for the perfect afternoon!