Superworm is the latest Julia Donaldson family trail at Wendover Woods and Foresty England sites across the country. It’s more simple than the recent Gruffalo one in that there isn’t any augmented reality element. Like with all of the trails, there is an accompanying trail pack that adds to the experience. BUT you don’t have to buy the pack to do the trail.
The packs
Inside the bag you get a forest superhero mask, an activity leaflet to do at home, the trail leaflet, sticker sheet, pencil, crayon, sticker and creature fact cards. Each pack costs £3.50. I said this last time but, if you’re doing the trail take sellotape with you. Those masks get damp really easily in the woods, and then they split, and then all hell breaks lose! Trust me.
The trail
Within the trail leaflet there’s what you need to do at each station along the way. Each stop on the Superworm trail has got a place to do a crayon rubbing. You also have to answer questions using the information on the character boards. If I’m honest, most of this went straight over Smallest Child’s head, and she’s 4 1/2. She listened to what I was reading off the boards, and could answer the questions, but she didn’t really seem that bothered. She did like doing the crayon rubbings though.
The route itself largely follows the long loop of the play trail. Which is the same route that the Gruffalo Spotters 2 trail ended up taking once it was relocated last year. And the same route some of the other trails have been on as well. The plus side of this is that the kids can stop along the way and play on the play trail equipment. It turned out that really was a plus point because my kids kinda lost interest in doing the Superworm trail at Wendover Woods. Which is a first! The mud kitchen and the fort though? They were all over those.
Our Superworm Trail at Wendover Woods Review
My kids are big fans of the books. We have our own version of the rap (it’s a rap in my house, not a song). We liked the TV adaptation. They have enjoyed doing all of the previous Julia Donaldson trails. I genuinely cannot tell you why the kids were less engaged with the Superworm trail at Wendover Woods, but they really were a bit meh about it. I’m glad we only brought one pack, rather than one each.
If the kids are enjoying the trail then it’s a nice way to add variety to a walk you might have done many times. But, for us, it was such an effort to get them to take an interest in doing the activities in the packs. They liked looking at the boards etc and spotting stuff. We could very easily have done the Superworm trail without the pack and left Wendover Woods having had exactly the same experience, but been £3.50 better off!
Admission cost
£3.50 per pack. You don’t need to get one per person, but there might be some arguments if you don’t. The packs aren’t essential to complete the trail. There’s no admission cost for Wendover Woods itself.
Parking / How to get there
Address – Upper Icknield Way, Aston Clinton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Sat Nav Postcode: HP22 5NQ
Parking – The cost is up to 2 hours £2.70, £5 up to 4 hours and £10 all day. Prices are correct at the time this review of the Superworm trail at Wendover Woods was published. For the latest prices please visit their website.
Toilets
On-site, including baby change.
Food
Picnics allowed. Cafe on site.
What else is there to do nearby?
There are lots of other great, cheap places to get outdoors with the kids nearby. College Lake in Tring, Tring Park, Aston Clinton Park or the brilliant playground at Wigginton.
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