Summer holiday activities in the woods

The Millennium Woods are the perfect place to visit during the summer holidays, offering shade on hot days and shelter on rainy ones, and an increasing range of nature to spot and appreciate. If you're looking for more structured entertainment then here are some of the events coming up...

Friday 24th July - Go Wild in the Woods! Julie is running two sessions, both free to families. The morning session is all about creatures that buzz and fly around the woods, and the afternoon topic is natural art. Book your space using the buttons below.

17th July to 9th August - Take part in the Big Butterfly Count's nationwide annual survey! And if you want to get your eye in beforehand, please do borrow one of the butterfly identification sheets from the blackboard by the play park as you take a turn around the woods. At Greener Padbury Group, we are extremely excited to find a population of black hairstreaks in the woods - new since we started our biodiversity work there. These are an endangered species and must be protected. They can be somewhat tricky to spot - but there are plenty of other showy butterflies and moths who are happy to flutter into the limelight instead. Look out for marbled whites, brimstones, orange tips, speckled woods, gatekeepers, large whites, commas, peacocks, tortoiseshells, common blues, red admirals, meadow browns, ringlets - and maybe more!

Tuesday 1st September - Go Wild to Survive! We're trialling a new and exciting adventure for older (10+) children: a day in the woods with Julie, learning survival skills such as shelter building and water filtration. This is a ticketed event: £20 per child.

And finally, you don't even need to go as far as the woods to spot wildlife this summer - you probably have some closer to home. Learn the secrets of your garden by borrowing an easy-to-use - and free - NatureSpy from our wildlife camera lending library!