Bedgebury Pinetum - Forestry England

Don't forget, if you leave before 11am the car admission fee is only £3. This great offer is available every day and throughout the year.

This is real conservation and a great example of why Bedgebury is important on a global scale! Thank you to everyone who supports our work.

Stunning scenery in Malawi, where our Collections Manager is currently supporting local conservation teams on a BGCI project to help save the Mulanje cedar from extinction.

What does the African country of Malawi have in common with the National Pinetum at Bedgebury? Pick up the latest Friends Magazine to find out. See below for a link to their website........

Learning to ride a bicycle is an important skill and also great fun! Why not ask Quench Cycles.......................

Looking for a new bike?

Don't forget to pick up your copy of the latest Friends magazine.

Good news. We have re-opened 'Sweetness' and 'Jurassic Park' on the mountain bike trail. 'Gloomy Wood' will stay closed at the moment. This project has cost over £15,000 and would not have been possible without the support of the Bedgebury Forest Cycle Club. Please do not ride trails that are closed as this will cause expensive damage. Enjoy your ride this weekend!

Thank you to all our volunteers who work tirelessly to keep Bedgebury looking great all year round!

Bedgebury is a great place to see butterflies. Pick up one of our leaflets at the Visitor Centre.

The lake at the Visitor Centre has blue/green algae on the surface. Please keep children and dogs away from the water. Thank you.

Limited places available, join the Friends of Bedgebury for a Damsels and Dragonflies Walk next Saturday lunchtime! Tickets: £12 per adult, £6 per child Call 01580 879842 to book

Went here today (24/3/17) with my parents and our dog Jack. Although the parking is expensive its worth going to for a pleasant walk in the forest, you do feel like your in another country like America. I would recommend going there. And I think I will be in the near future.

We love Bedgebury and visit regularly.... we were the first ones round the new Gruffalo trail today apparently and my little charges loved it and so did I � much better than the last one . The play areas are great too and the cafe's homemade cakes and coffee is amazing �

We had a lovely day with our 2 year old, it was so peaceful and beautiful, great for pushchairs. We had a picnic by the lake, enjoyed the gruffalo trail and the huge sandy play areas were fab for our little one with lots to do. Would highly recommend for all ages, we'll be back...

We called in on our way back from Disney Paris after stopping over at Dover.

This is really something to be nationally proud of. It is superb. Suitable for all ages & abilities. Some trails suitable for wheel chairs& buggys.

Photo shots at every turn & lots of wildlife.

Play area is amazing & bike hire available too or take your own.

Go Ape centre for big apes & juniors.

Cafe for lovely home cooked local produce & picnic areas under cover.

Parking is per car full, we paid £10 for the day for 4 of us

The Gruffalo Trail makes it a magical adventure for the little ones

Have a great time

Took the kids on the Gruffalo hunt. Beautiful, great pack, easy to follow hunt. Playground great. Negatives: not many toilets so if you have young kids be aware. Also no toilets at playground and a decent walk from main building. It's very big - that's a pro and con. But again, little legs will get tired but overall though was excellent.

The most amazing, beautifully maintained park! Tranquil, peaceful, soul-drenching.... perfect for cycling, and walking too, amongst the year-round residents such as little ducks frolicking in the ponds and squirrels playing in the tree branches! The huge redwoods were quietly stoic, and I hugged a few to draw upon their strength. Lovely, lovely place x

Lovely day out with the kids and our dog. We did the Gruffalo hunt and then they spent a few hours playing in the adventure play areas. Definitely worth the £12.00 to park and as we took a picnic it didn't cost us anything more.

Love love love this place not so keen on the dogs off Leads that run out infront of you while your on a bike nearly had nasty accident today

I have been a vistor here since around the Mid sixties and it is very much part of my childhood memories, with Family and Friends; all day picnics and BBQS, fun hiding in the tall trees, walks, I probably know every inch of it; as in the summer months we would visit 2 or 3 times a week, even though an hour away. The changes over the years, there have many but all for the better even if a little busier. A great place for families to unwind and get close to nature and the outdoors. Just celebrated my 60th here at the Rick Astley concert and what fun we had. x

I consider myself very lucky to have this treasure almost on my door step. It's beautiful in the sunshine and it's equally lovely when the weather is not that good. The landscape is to die for, pleasant walk for all ages and abilities, really nice sandy playground for kids and gruffalo trail for toddlers and slightly older children. Lovely cafe overlooking a lake. The parking is quite costly but it's for the day so it's well worth spending it. Our family love it!!

Had a great day there on the mountain bikes.

Trails are not too technical,but very testing endurance wise.

The place is well run with ,and bike hire and a excellent Café.

And of course the scenery is stunning

Great place to walk around with the kids, lots of open space to explore!

Great day out with our youngest grandson finding friends of Gruffalo and following the Highway Rat Trail. Great coffee sitting by the lake surrounded by lots of ducks.

Amazing fun place. So much to do, many play areas for the kids, great for den building days, exploring the woods. The pinetum bit is great for hide and seek too.



Very good cafe- lovely areas to eat and enjoy the views.



Come early to avoid parking problems at busy times.



One of our favourite places to go with the kid.

Accompanied my daughter's school class trip. Though we've been before as a family on more than one occasion, the school workshop and the teacher there was fabulously informative and helpful , and the kids learnt so much.. and not just about the odd tree or two.

Well worth a visit, without a doubt.

I visited today this place is amazing I love it. However we did the gruffolo wooden trail and it really is Hard work. It's a brilliant idea to get kids out walking and exploring but we only found two characters and one was the gruffolo that you can't miss. There need to be maybe foot prints leading to characters or something on path that say 20 steps or 100 steps that way you will find.we really tried and it was not rewarding for kids when they just can't find them. We ask many people on way round what they had found and they said pretty much the same thing. We walked a very long way today and see many dogs which was lovely and didn't see one bit of dog mess which was a joy. My mum aka nanny very much enjoyed the wine from the cafe after a very muddy crazy walk with the kids another positive

Fab day out at Bedgebury today with my 18 month old. We did the Highway Rat trail and found the Fox and the Gruffalo on the Pinetum walk. Only slight criticisms I have are related to the lack of shady picnic benches. It was very hot in the sun today and none of the benches had parasols. Most of them, even those in the wooded area are situated in the full sun. The ones by the visitor centre are in full sun unless you want to sit behind the building with no view. Also the main play area had no shade either so my little one was unable to go on the equipment, the slides are metal and so were far too hot to go down and it was disappointing to not be able to enjoy what looked like a really fun playground.

Brilliant bike track and lovely playground. The food is lovely, but very busy on holidays. Only negative aspect is the limited toilet facilities - you have to walk a long way around to get there, when they could easily put in a direct route from the playground instead. Allow an extra 5 minutes walk, not easy with desperate children.

Beautiful woodland and variety of trees. Colours are amazing this time of year so had a real 'wow factor' for a Sunday stroll. Coffee and cake very enjoyable. Thought the parking was a little pricey but if its being put back in to upkeep of woodland and facilities can sort of understand. Could be slightly cheaper though. Will definitely be visiting again. Thankyou Bedgebury ☺

Went here today (24/3/17) with my parents and our dog Jack. Although the parking is expensive its worth going to for a pleasant walk in the forest, you do feel like your in another country like America. I would recommend going there. And I think I will be in the near future.

We love Bedgebury and visit regularly.... we were the first ones round the new Gruffalo trail today apparently and my little charges loved it and so did I � much better than the last one . The play areas are great too and the cafe's homemade cakes and coffee is amazing �

We had a lovely day with our 2 year old, it was so peaceful and beautiful, great for pushchairs. We had a picnic by the lake, enjoyed the gruffalo trail and the huge sandy play areas were fab for our little one with lots to do. Would highly recommend for all ages, we'll be back...

We called in on our way back from Disney Paris after stopping over at Dover.

This is really something to be nationally proud of. It is superb. Suitable for all ages & abilities. Some trails suitable for wheel chairs& buggys.

Photo shots at every turn & lots of wildlife.

Play area is amazing & bike hire available too or take your own.

Go Ape centre for big apes & juniors.

Cafe for lovely home cooked local produce & picnic areas under cover.

Parking is per car full, we paid £10 for the day for 4 of us

The Gruffalo Trail makes it a magical adventure for the little ones

Have a great time

Took the kids on the Gruffalo hunt. Beautiful, great pack, easy to follow hunt. Playground great. Negatives: not many toilets so if you have young kids be aware. Also no toilets at playground and a decent walk from main building. It's very big - that's a pro and con. But again, little legs will get tired but overall though was excellent.

The most amazing, beautifully maintained park! Tranquil, peaceful, soul-drenching.... perfect for cycling, and walking too, amongst the year-round residents such as little ducks frolicking in the ponds and squirrels playing in the tree branches! The huge redwoods were quietly stoic, and I hugged a few to draw upon their strength. Lovely, lovely place x

Lovely day out with the kids and our dog. We did the Gruffalo hunt and then they spent a few hours playing in the adventure play areas. Definitely worth the £12.00 to park and as we took a picnic it didn't cost us anything more.

Love love love this place not so keen on the dogs off Leads that run out infront of you while your on a bike nearly had nasty accident today

I have been a vistor here since around the Mid sixties and it is very much part of my childhood memories, with Family and Friends; all day picnics and BBQS, fun hiding in the tall trees, walks, I probably know every inch of it; as in the summer months we would visit 2 or 3 times a week, even though an hour away. The changes over the years, there have many but all for the better even if a little busier. A great place for families to unwind and get close to nature and the outdoors. Just celebrated my 60th here at the Rick Astley concert and what fun we had. x

I consider myself very lucky to have this treasure almost on my door step. It's beautiful in the sunshine and it's equally lovely when the weather is not that good. The landscape is to die for, pleasant walk for all ages and abilities, really nice sandy playground for kids and gruffalo trail for toddlers and slightly older children. Lovely cafe overlooking a lake. The parking is quite costly but it's for the day so it's well worth spending it. Our family love it!!

Had a great day there on the mountain bikes.

Trails are not too technical,but very testing endurance wise.

The place is well run with ,and bike hire and a excellent Café.

And of course the scenery is stunning

Great place to walk around with the kids, lots of open space to explore!

Great day out with our youngest grandson finding friends of Gruffalo and following the Highway Rat Trail. Great coffee sitting by the lake surrounded by lots of ducks.

Amazing fun place. So much to do, many play areas for the kids, great for den building days, exploring the woods. The pinetum bit is great for hide and seek too.



Very good cafe- lovely areas to eat and enjoy the views.



Come early to avoid parking problems at busy times.



One of our favourite places to go with the kid.

Accompanied my daughter's school class trip. Though we've been before as a family on more than one occasion, the school workshop and the teacher there was fabulously informative and helpful , and the kids learnt so much.. and not just about the odd tree or two.

Well worth a visit, without a doubt.

I visited today this place is amazing I love it. However we did the gruffolo wooden trail and it really is Hard work. It's a brilliant idea to get kids out walking and exploring but we only found two characters and one was the gruffolo that you can't miss. There need to be maybe foot prints leading to characters or something on path that say 20 steps or 100 steps that way you will find.we really tried and it was not rewarding for kids when they just can't find them. We ask many people on way round what they had found and they said pretty much the same thing. We walked a very long way today and see many dogs which was lovely and didn't see one bit of dog mess which was a joy. My mum aka nanny very much enjoyed the wine from the cafe after a very muddy crazy walk with the kids another positive

Fab day out at Bedgebury today with my 18 month old. We did the Highway Rat trail and found the Fox and the Gruffalo on the Pinetum walk. Only slight criticisms I have are related to the lack of shady picnic benches. It was very hot in the sun today and none of the benches had parasols. Most of them, even those in the wooded area are situated in the full sun. The ones by the visitor centre are in full sun unless you want to sit behind the building with no view. Also the main play area had no shade either so my little one was unable to go on the equipment, the slides are metal and so were far too hot to go down and it was disappointing to not be able to enjoy what looked like a really fun playground.

Brilliant bike track and lovely playground. The food is lovely, but very busy on holidays. Only negative aspect is the limited toilet facilities - you have to walk a long way around to get there, when they could easily put in a direct route from the playground instead. Allow an extra 5 minutes walk, not easy with desperate children.

Beautiful woodland and variety of trees. Colours are amazing this time of year so had a real 'wow factor' for a Sunday stroll. Coffee and cake very enjoyable. Thought the parking was a little pricey but if its being put back in to upkeep of woodland and facilities can sort of understand. Could be slightly cheaper though. Will definitely be visiting again. Thankyou Bedgebury ☺

Went here today (24/3/17) with my parents and our dog Jack. Although the parking is expensive its worth going to for a pleasant walk in the forest, you do feel like your in another country like America. I would recommend going there. And I think I will be in the near future.

We love Bedgebury and visit regularly.... we were the first ones round the new Gruffalo trail today apparently and my little charges loved it and so did I � much better than the last one . The play areas are great too and the cafe's homemade cakes and coffee is amazing �

We had a lovely day with our 2 year old, it was so peaceful and beautiful, great for pushchairs. We had a picnic by the lake, enjoyed the gruffalo trail and the huge sandy play areas were fab for our little one with lots to do. Would highly recommend for all ages, we'll be back...

We called in on our way back from Disney Paris after stopping over at Dover.

This is really something to be nationally proud of. It is superb. Suitable for all ages & abilities. Some trails suitable for wheel chairs& buggys.

Photo shots at every turn & lots of wildlife.

Play area is amazing & bike hire available too or take your own.

Go Ape centre for big apes & juniors.

Cafe for lovely home cooked local produce & picnic areas under cover.

Parking is per car full, we paid £10 for the day for 4 of us

The Gruffalo Trail makes it a magical adventure for the little ones

Have a great time

Took the kids on the Gruffalo hunt. Beautiful, great pack, easy to follow hunt. Playground great. Negatives: not many toilets so if you have young kids be aware. Also no toilets at playground and a decent walk from main building. It's very big - that's a pro and con. But again, little legs will get tired but overall though was excellent.

The most amazing, beautifully maintained park! Tranquil, peaceful, soul-drenching.... perfect for cycling, and walking too, amongst the year-round residents such as little ducks frolicking in the ponds and squirrels playing in the tree branches! The huge redwoods were quietly stoic, and I hugged a few to draw upon their strength. Lovely, lovely place x

Lovely day out with the kids and our dog. We did the Gruffalo hunt and then they spent a few hours playing in the adventure play areas. Definitely worth the £12.00 to park and as we took a picnic it didn't cost us anything more.

Love love love this place not so keen on the dogs off Leads that run out infront of you while your on a bike nearly had nasty accident today

I have been a vistor here since around the Mid sixties and it is very much part of my childhood memories, with Family and Friends; all day picnics and BBQS, fun hiding in the tall trees, walks, I probably know every inch of it; as in the summer months we would visit 2 or 3 times a week, even though an hour away. The changes over the years, there have many but all for the better even if a little busier. A great place for families to unwind and get close to nature and the outdoors. Just celebrated my 60th here at the Rick Astley concert and what fun we had. x

I consider myself very lucky to have this treasure almost on my door step. It's beautiful in the sunshine and it's equally lovely when the weather is not that good. The landscape is to die for, pleasant walk for all ages and abilities, really nice sandy playground for kids and gruffalo trail for toddlers and slightly older children. Lovely cafe overlooking a lake. The parking is quite costly but it's for the day so it's well worth spending it. Our family love it!!

Had a great day there on the mountain bikes.

Trails are not too technical,but very testing endurance wise.

The place is well run with ,and bike hire and a excellent Café.

And of course the scenery is stunning

Great place to walk around with the kids, lots of open space to explore!

Great day out with our youngest grandson finding friends of Gruffalo and following the Highway Rat Trail. Great coffee sitting by the lake surrounded by lots of ducks.

Amazing fun place. So much to do, many play areas for the kids, great for den building days, exploring the woods. The pinetum bit is great for hide and seek too.



Very good cafe- lovely areas to eat and enjoy the views.



Come early to avoid parking problems at busy times.



One of our favourite places to go with the kid.

Accompanied my daughter's school class trip. Though we've been before as a family on more than one occasion, the school workshop and the teacher there was fabulously informative and helpful , and the kids learnt so much.. and not just about the odd tree or two.

Well worth a visit, without a doubt.

I visited today this place is amazing I love it. However we did the gruffolo wooden trail and it really is Hard work. It's a brilliant idea to get kids out walking and exploring but we only found two characters and one was the gruffolo that you can't miss. There need to be maybe foot prints leading to characters or something on path that say 20 steps or 100 steps that way you will find.we really tried and it was not rewarding for kids when they just can't find them. We ask many people on way round what they had found and they said pretty much the same thing. We walked a very long way today and see many dogs which was lovely and didn't see one bit of dog mess which was a joy. My mum aka nanny very much enjoyed the wine from the cafe after a very muddy crazy walk with the kids another positive

Fab day out at Bedgebury today with my 18 month old. We did the Highway Rat trail and found the Fox and the Gruffalo on the Pinetum walk. Only slight criticisms I have are related to the lack of shady picnic benches. It was very hot in the sun today and none of the benches had parasols. Most of them, even those in the wooded area are situated in the full sun. The ones by the visitor centre are in full sun unless you want to sit behind the building with no view. Also the main play area had no shade either so my little one was unable to go on the equipment, the slides are metal and so were far too hot to go down and it was disappointing to not be able to enjoy what looked like a really fun playground.

Brilliant bike track and lovely playground. The food is lovely, but very busy on holidays. Only negative aspect is the limited toilet facilities - you have to walk a long way around to get there, when they could easily put in a direct route from the playground instead. Allow an extra 5 minutes walk, not easy with desperate children.

Beautiful woodland and variety of trees. Colours are amazing this time of year so had a real 'wow factor' for a Sunday stroll. Coffee and cake very enjoyable. Thought the parking was a little pricey but if its being put back in to upkeep of woodland and facilities can sort of understand. Could be slightly cheaper though. Will definitely be visiting again. Thankyou Bedgebury ☺