PETER RABBIT WOODLAND TRAIL AT LANGDON VISITOR CENTRE IN BASILDON

Last weekend we took a trip to the Peter Rabbit trail in Basildon on a friend’s recommendation and we are so glad that we did. We had such a lovely afternoon and I just had to blog about it. 

The trail is located at the Langdon Visitor Centre in Basildon which is part of the Essex Wildlife Trust. There is an on site car park which is free and the visitor centre is clearly visible on arrival. The visitor centre is where you can purchase your map for the trail. There is also the option to do a quiz as you travel around the trail. The maps are £1, the quiz sheets are £2 which includes a badge once you return to the visitor centre with completed quiz sheets or there is a £4.50 option which includes the map, quiz sheets, badge, pencil and Peter Rabbit gift bag which is the option we went for. The visitor centre also has toilets, baby changing, a gift shop and cafe selling hot and cold drinks, ice creams, cakes, sandwiches and snacks. We found the pricing in the cafe to be pretty average for this type of venue, but we did find the gift shop to be slightly on the expensive side. We didn't mind this too much as we appreciate that it is free to enter and that it must cost a lot of money to run and maintain. There are items in all price ranges but the main thing the children seemed drawn to where the character teddies on the counter which were £12 each. Our daughter chose a nice Mr Fisher one to add to her ever growing soft toy collection. The staff at the centre are volunteers and were so friendly, welcoming and very informative.

The trail is well signposted and easy to follow on the map and the wooden statues of the characters are really lovely and perfect for photos. E watches Peter Rabbit on CBeebies so she is familiar with the characters however you really don't need any Peter Rabbit knowledge to enjoy this trail. You can just search for the rabbit, hedgehog, frog etc and have just as much fun. 

There is a path running the whole way round the trail so it is suitable for pushchairs or in our case a trike and I would imagine makes it suitable in all weather although we were lucky and had beautiful weather on the day of our visit. There are plenty of benches and picnic benches along the way perfect for stopping for a drink and a snack. There is also a beautiful lake where you can feed the ducks (duck food is sold for £1 a bag at the visitor centre.)

The quiz is a really nice addition to the trail. To be honest, I assumed that our 2 year old would be a little young for it but she loved it. There are 2 parts of the quiz, the first is to identify the vegetable hidden in the picture at each character statue, she got most of these on her own with Mummy and Daddy only having to prompt her on a couple. The second part of the quiz is to identify the footprints found along the trail. She was unable to identify which animals they came from at this age, but was very excited to shout out when she spotted them. These little extras helped us take our time around the trail and certainly added to the enjoyment. When you return to the visitor centre they will give you a badge to say well done. My daughters was a lovely pink Mrs Tiggy-Winkle one which she wore proudly for the rest of the day! 

On site there is also an adventure playground, a museum and a sensory garden. Sadly, we ran out of time to visit the museum but we did spend time at both the playground and the sensory garden. The adventure playground is more of a wooden agility course. E loved it, but Daddy had to walk around with her the whole time as she wasn't quite steady enough to go round it on her own. She had a great time balancing and jumping on the wobbly bridge and it was lovely to watch her confidence grow as she went around it again and again. It would be nice if there was a section for slightly smaller children  with a slide or swings. Just an idea for the future if anyone from the team happen to read this! The sensory garden is also a nice addition with beautiful flowers, bug homes, fairy gardens and more. My daughter loved the fairy gardens and has asked if we can have one at home, which I think will be a nice little project for next summer. 

We didn't arrive until early afternoon, but really wish we had arrived a little earlier as we ran out of time to fit it all in so we will defiantly be returning some time in the near future and Nanny has already said she would like to join us when we do.

What did my 2 year old think?

Mummy: Did you like the Peter Rabbit trail?

E: Yes. I find all the footprints and Peter Rabbit and Puddle Duck and Mr Frog. 

Mummy: Who was your favourite?

E: Mr Frog and Puddle Duck. We fed the ducks. 

Mummy: We did! Would you like to go back one day?

E: Yes and take Nanny. 

My tips if you are planning to visit: 

1. The car park closes at 5pm, this is all year round so make sure you keep an eye on the time if you are visiting later on in the day, especially in the summer when it is still bright come 5pm. 
2. Do the quiz, it is a nice addition to the trail and my daughter loved it. I would suggest maybe popping a pen in your bag as the pencil they give you isn't the best at showing up on the quiz sheets which have a slight shine to them. 
3. If you purchase duck food from the visitor centre, then you can return the empty bag at the end and they will give you a free lolly pop. 
4. The museum is only open on certain days and times so double check on the website or Facebook page before you arrive if this is of interest to you. 
5. Keep an eye out for their special events. There were a few we were told about whilst we were there such as ‘Caterpillar club’ and Scrapbook safari’ which sounded like fun and are certainly things we would consider on return trips. 

The Peter Rabbit trail has to be another 5/5 for me. Well done to the team at the Langdon Visitor Centre, keep up the good work! 

All thoughts, opinions and photographs are my own. This is not a sponsored post. Prices, times etc are correct at the time of publishing this post and are subject to change.