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.
Black Park
Located in Wexham, Buckinghamshire, Black Park Country Park has always been one of our favourite woodland walks. There are lots of pram friendly paths around the lake and through the woods. There is a kiosk serving drinks and snacks when you first walk in from the car park, but also a cafe on the otherwide of the lake. The main cafe has both indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the lake. You’ll find a brilliant playground next to the cafe which was renovated in recent years. We love walking here in the Autumn as the woods are full of mushrooms and we’ve even spotted the magical red and white toadstool mushroom, the fly agaric.
There are lots of additional activities available at Black Park, including Tots Go Wild forest school on Friday mornings, which we’ve been to and really enjoy. Go Ape have a treetop and nets adventure there – read our Go Ape nets adventure review.
Cost: Free, just pay for parking.
Location & parking: Black Park Country Park, Black Park Road, Wexham. Parking costs from £3.90 for 2 hours.
Sat nav: SL3 6DS
Wendover Woods
There is an amazing play trail at Wendover Woods which is a 1 mile loop with loads of wooden play stops along the way with obstacles to climb, tunnels to crawl through and an amazing mud kitchen. They also have an interactive Gruffalo orienteering course which you can pick up a map for £1.50 at the information desk. Plus there’s GoApe for older kids! All of this makes Wendover Woods a really fun place to go for a woodland walk, with plenty to keep little ones entertained.
There is a lovely cafe with both indoor and outdoor seating and a good range of food on offer.
Cost: Free, just pay for parking.
Location & parking: Wendover Woods, Upper Icknield Way, Aston Clinton, Aylesbury. Parking costs from £2 per hour.
Sat nav: HP22 5NQ
Hughenden
There are several woodland trails on the Hughenden National Trust estate of various lengths. They all lead back to the main house and a brilliant natural play area created from giant fallen logs with walkways, a climbing rope and stepping stones. There is a cafe with indoor seating at the house and the promise of a hot chocolate and playground at the end is always a good incentive to keep little legs walking!
There are often family friendly activities and trails running at Hughenden so it’s worth checking out the website before you go.
Cost: £15.40 for adults and £7.70 for children, or £38.50 for a family ticket. Free entry for National Trust members. Our joint membership for me and my husband costs just £10 a month (under 5’s are free) Click here to join as a member (affiliate link).
Location & parking: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP14 4LA
Sat nav: Note that the postcode doesn’t work in all sat navs so follow the brown National Trust signs for Hughenden when you get closer.
Burnham Beeches
The ancient woodlands are beautiful and there’s plenty to keep little ones entertained along the way too. They are particularly stunning in the Autumn with the floor covered in a thick carpet of fallen leaves. The woodlands are huge at 540 acres and is a mix of woodland, heath, wood pasture and wetland. There are loads of informal paths and many different circular routes that you can take. If you click onto our review of Burnham Beeches you will find a map of our favourite route to take and details of the sensory trail.
Cost: Free, just pay for parking.
Location & parking: Lord Mayors Drive, Farnham Common, Slough. Parking charges are up to 2 hours £1.50 over 2 hours £3 on weekdays and weekends and bank/public holidays: £3 per day.
Sat nav: SL2 3PS
Cliveden National Trust
The Cliveden National Trust estate is huge and one part of it is a beautiful woodland area. You can access this area either from the main car park, if you continue walking past the water garden, or you can park down at the woodland car park. There are lovely views of the river Thames from parts of the woodland walk and also views of Cliveden House. There is also a play trail in the woods, to make it more fun for little legs and Clive’s Den, a little den and picnic area.
Up in the water garden area there is a lovely story book themed playground, so make sure you don’t miss this.
Cost: £17 for adults and £8.50 for children, or £42.50 for a family ticket. Free entry for National Trust members. Click here to join as a member (affiliate link).
Location & parking: Cliveden Rd, Taplow, Maidenhead. Parking is free.
Sat nav:SL1 8NS
Basildon Park
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 if you head up to the woodlands there is children’s play trail running all the way through it.
The first two stops on the Basildon Park play trail are ball runs. I recommend taking your own balls as you have to pay to rent them and they aren’t always available. A tennis ball or similar would do. After that just carry on along the trail and you’ll find obstacles to walk over, a random height chart, stepping stones, running track, bug hotel, den building and more! You can find full details of the play trail and download the map on my Basildon Park Play Trail review.
They also have another Autumn themed children’s trail running at the moment which you can pick up from the information desk.
Cost: Entry to Basildon Park for a one off visit is £15 for adults, £7.50 for children or £37.50 for a family ticket. If you are planning to visit a National Trust estate more than 4 times in a year then it’s worth getting a membership.Click here to become a National Trust member.
Location & parking: Lower Basildon, Reading. Free parking onsite.
Sat nav:RG8 9NR
Hodgemoor Woods
These woods are near Chalfont St Giles and another of my favourites to go for a walk. There are often lots of horses riding through the woods as there are several stables and riding schools nearby. There isn’t anything here other than the woods, no cafe, toilets, play area, but they are a beautiful walk and there are often lots of den building sites around. You can read my review of Hodgemoor Woods here.
Cost: Free.
Location & parking: Car park is just off Bottrell’s Lane in Seer Green. There is free parking onsite.
Sat nav: HP8 4EQ
Swinley Forest
We often visit here as part of a visit to the Look Out Discovery Centre, a hands on science exhibition for children. There is a fantastic playground next to the Look Out Discovery Centre and you can visit the playground for free. There is also a cafe kiosk with outdoor seating and the food is really good!
There are loads of walking and bike trails around the forest, a huge den building area and also a Go Ape.
Cost: Free. Activities like the Look Out Discovery Centre and Go Ape are extra.
Location & parking:Nine Mile Ride, Bracknell. Parking is £3.40 for 4 hours or £6.80 for all day.
Sat nav:RG12 7QW
