Allegedly the inspiration for Fantastic Mr Fox, this beautiful but small woodland is inextricably linked with Roald Dahl. He lived nearby and would regularly walk through this woodland. This review of Angling Spring Wood was actually part of our Roald Dahl family walk around Great Missenden. You can read about the full route here.
If you’re just walking straight through the woods on the central path it only takes about ten minutes from one side to the other. But you’d actually be missing out as there’s a lot more to explore along the criss-crossing paths!
Talking Trail
One of the most family friendly elements of Angling Spring Wood is the Talking Trail. Throughout the wood there are ten different carved posts. Each of these have an audio file for you to play. You can find the map here. Make sure that you download all of the audio files before you go though as I doubt you’ll have good enough signal to get it when you’re there. The audio files are available here. Oh and one of them is Dobby from Harry Potter!!!! Apparently it takes two hours to do the full trail.
Bluebells at Angling Spring Wood
In the spring Angling Spring Wood is full of bluebells! I’ll need to go back in the spring but apparently it’s a particularly impressive display.
Our Angling Spring Wood Review
Angling Spring Wood is a lovely little find. It’s a relatively gentle walk, but it does have uphill sections depending on what paths you take. It’s also not remotely push chair friendly and gets muddy in winter (obviously, it’s a woodland!). There’s a couple of quarry pits, which my kids are always drawn to). It takes a bit of effort to get there, which then makes it a bit quieter than some other woodlands!
Admission cost
Free
Parking / How to get there
Parking – We parked at the Link Road Car Park (Link Rd, Great Missenden HP16 9AE). 70p for up to 1 hour. £1.40 – up to 2 hours. £2.00 – up to 3 hours. £2.50 – up to 4 hours and £3.60 for up to 9 hours. It took about 20 minutes to walk from there to the woods. There are several different entrances though.
You could probably also park in Green Lane, Prestwood and walk down to the wood.
Address – Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. Grid Reference – SP885010
Toilets
None on-site. Public toilets available at the Link Road Car Park.
Food
There’s no seating but you could take a picnic if you wanted. There’s various cafes and a pub in Great Missenden.
What else is there to do nearby?
We visited Angling Spring Wood as part of a circular walking route around Great Missenden. There’s also the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in the village centre. There’s also a good playground nearby.
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
