Westonbirt Arboretum which is only a 35 minute drive from central Gloucester and autumn is my favourite time to visit. I have been going to Westonbirt since I was a teenager and still remember family walks there with ease. Now I visit as a mum with my own family.
The Forestry Commission have really grown with the changing times over the last few years and it is great to keep an eye on what they are doing locally as there have been some fantastic opportunities of late. We are lucky to live in a county with The Royal Forest of Dean and I have blogged before about some of our adventures there from Go Ape to puzzlewood and have enjoyed many a walk searching for the Gruffalo.
Westonbirt Arboretum have also seen some great bands play in recent years including Spandau Ballet! But before them it was JLS and Simply Red.
As I said it all happens at Westonbirt Arboretum ! In addition to the one off events just walking through the area is beautiful, children are encouraged to bring their scooters and really enjoy being outdoors. This summer Westonbirt launched its new app and was inviting visitors to take part in a new digital quest around the internationally renowned site, which will help them to get closer to the tree collection in a different way with information at their fingertips. The team at the Forestry Commission’s National Arboretum (in Gloucestershire) hope to encourage families and teenagers to explore the fantastic treecollection digitally through TreeQuests, which is activated by 50 trigger beacons that have been fitted to some of the arboretum’s 15,000 trees and connect to the app.
We went along at the end of the holidays to try it out. The girls had great fun exploring and using the app to track where they were and what trees they found.
TreeQuests lets you design a trail through the trees – choose whether to set forth into dog-friendly Silk Wood or amble into the dog-free Old Arboretum, how long your mission will last and whether you’ll be exploring on or off paths – making the app accessible for everyone. Once downloaded, switch Bluetooth on and TreeQuests will guide the way and alert you when near a target tree! Complete the challenges set at each tree: they may be creative, crafty or require calculations!
The App is a great modern way to connect with nature and make the most of what is on offer. We had a wonderful afternoon at Westonbirt and now that it is turning to Autumn it is my favourite time to visit. So pop on some walking shoes and get out and enjoy it just like the girls did!
10 Responses
You met martin Kemp!! WHAT! i can’t believe you had a picture with him too how god looking is he and even better with his grey hair. #guiltypleasure
He was so lovely too!
Your girls are gorgeous. That looks like such a lovely area, great for what we call afternoon rambles. 🙂
And you met Martin Kemp !! He always comes across as a genuinely nice man.
He absolutely was!
firstly, wow you actually met Martin Kemp. i used to love him when I was a little younger. This looks a great place to visit and I know my monkeys would love them muddy puddles
Westonbirt looks like a beautiful place to explore. What a great idea to have an app to go along with nature & engage kiddies in a new way! x
This looks like such a beautiful place and I bet the children loved jumping in the puddles and exploring the grounds. I love the the idea of the app as it makes it even more fun.
We went to Treefest at Westonbirt last year and had a great time. I really want to go back although it’s some way away from us. The app looks good fun
I was a total nature addict when I was a kid. I’ve forgotten a lot of it, but I was the type that went birdwatching when there were only crows about! Great to see encouraging that still today. Although I always think the UK is way ahead in these stakes than Ireland 😉
I never knew about the tree app what a great idea!
And you haven’t changed a bit have you!