Westonbirt Arboretum
What can you do at Westonbirt Arboreum?
Westonbirt Arboretum is a national arborteum cared for by Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum and Forestry England. It is a beautiful place for a walk, with winding paths through thousands of trees. Explore the adventure play areas, find sculptures of The Gruffalo and friends, and discover a tree top walkway! There are lots of different species of trees and some are huge. Enjoy 600 acres of invigorating nature and fresh air. It is especially magical in autumn when there are beautiful colours. It is a great place for leaf peeping in the UK!
📍 Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury, GL8 8QS
The Gruffalo at Westonbirt Arboretum
Find The Gruffalo sculptures at Westonbirt Arboretum! The Gruffalo and his friends (mouse, fox, owl and snake!) can be found in the Old Arboretum. The Gruffalo’s Child is in the New Arboretum. Check the map on arrival for the locations of these!
If you have a dog, be aware the Old Arboretum is a dog-free zone. However, you could take your dog to find The Gruffalo’s Child.
Play Areas at Westonbirt Arboretum
Two new play areas Holford Hollow and Branch Out have opened at Westonbirt as of the end of August 2024! These are adventure play areas with obstacle courses, ropes, climbing opportunities and talking tubes. It is a lovely walk to get to these and exciting for children to find within the woods. See my annotated route below in red for a route which includes some autumn colour, The Gruffalo, these two play areas and the cafe/restaurant! The image with the wooden boat is the play area at the cafe, which has been refurbished to create a new loose parts type play area.
Other Information for Visiting
🎟️⏰ Check Opening Hours and Admission Prices. There are membership options with Friends of Westonbirt and Forestry England. Pre-booking is essential in autumn.
☕️🍦 Cafe and ice cream kiosk, restaurant, and a coffee van by the entrance. Toilets at the entrance and by the cafe.
🛴 Good place for scooters and children’s bikes (have to be under 70cm)
🐶 Westonbirt is divided into dog-friendly and dog-free areas. Dogs are not allowed in the Old Arboretum which is the area that has the Gruffalo trail, Holford Hollow and Branch Out play areas. Dogs are allowed in a large area of the New Arboretum which has the The Gruffalo’s Child sculpture, and there are new play areas coming in this area soon! Find out more about dogs at Westonbirt Arboretum There is a map on this page.
Seasonal Events
Autumn Colours
Autumn brings beautiful colours at Westonbirt. It is a very popular time of year and pre-booking is required. Take a look at the Autumn Watch videos to see how the colours are developing each week. There is an autumn family trail on for 2024.
Christmas at Westonbirt
Westonbirt has an illuminated trail every Winter. There is a new partnership for 2024 from the light trail producers at Kew and Blenheim Palace, so it is set to be impressive. Expect luminous birds, colourful neon trees, tunnels of light and a Christmas Village! More information and booking
What’s On at Westonbirt Arboretum
From Forest School and Discovery Walks to Arts and Crafts, see upcoming events at Westonbirt. There are usually special activities and trails on during school holidays.
Map of Westonbirt Arboretum
Download a map of Westonbirt Arboretum
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