Groups & Parties

The wood is a wonderful venue for parties and gatherings – from children’s birthday parties to anniversaries, reunions or weddings. We can help you design your perfect day from a huge list of activities and provide delicious food and drink to fuel the festivities!

Explore the trails or book an activity with an enthusiastic and experienced ranger – see the parties menu.

Enjoy a woodland barbecue or wild cookout as part of your visit or relax and let us cater for you with delicious sustainably sourced food and drink from our Barn Kitchen.

Activities, walks and demonstrations can be run every day, usually starting at 11.00am or 2.00pm. A prompt start is essential – make sure party guests or members of your group arrive in good time.

Prices for guided walks and activities include admission so you can stay as long as you like before and afterwards.

All activities are outdoors in the woods, so dress appropriately! We normally continue in all weathers - phone us if exceptionally bad weather is forecast.

"Thank you for the terrific party you created for Jacob (10) and his friends last weekend - several of them said it was the best party they'd ever been to, and he loved it. We will be back!"

Booking
Booking is essential if you’re bringing a large group or would like a ranger to lead an activity.

How to book
Call us to discuss your visit and make a reservation.

Send us the appropriate booking form and cheque for the full amount within 10 days of phoning to confirm your reservation

Booking forms

• Children's group booking form (except Castaways)
• Castaway booking form
• Group booking form for general group visits including guided walks and BBQ hire (not children's activities)

Cancellations

We can’t make any refunds if you cancel within two weeks of your booked date. Cancellations made more than two weeks in advance will be refunded, less a £10 admin charge.

Groups

Group discounts
If you’re bringing a group of fifteen or more (age three up), book in advance and receive a 10% discount on admission.

Group admission prices (FOR BOOKED GROUPS OF 15+):
                     Adults – £4.30
Concessions – £3.50

Children 3-15yrs – £2.65
Helpers for disabled visitors – Free

Tuck into delicious food
Hungry? Cook outdoors over a Wild Cookout in a secluded glade. We can provide delicious food for you to cook, sourced from local farms and suppliers. Or let us cater for your group – we can provide everything from children’s birthday teas or simple snacks through to 3-course meals in our beautiful timber-frame Barn café.

Children’s birthday teas
There’s no need to think about packing a picnic as well as managing excitable children as we can provide delicious party food.

The Barn catering team can prepare you a simple but delicious party tea, laid out on tables ready for you on return from your activity in the woods, for £5.50 per child.

Revive the kids on cheese sandwiches, carrot, cucumber and celery sticks, bowls of crisps, jugs of orange and blackcurrant squash and the most delicious homemade cookies.

or

A large bowl of organic pasta with a homemade tomato sauce with bowls of gratted cheddar and delicious homemade cookies!

Top it all off with a cupcake tower too! £1.95 per child.

or

A warm choclate brownie, ice-cream and hot choclate, perfect for our castaway parties. £5.50 per child.

Castaway Package: Let us do the organising for you; 2 locally sourced sausages, sausage buns & marshmallows, all for toasting over the fire £3.75

Grown -ups!

Why not order something for the grown ups in your party too? For £5 per person you can have a wood platter of locally sourced Sussex bacon and/ or honey & thyme sausages sandwiches on Flint Owl sourdough.

We supply all plates, cups, straws and napkins.

Please order your party food on the children's booking form. There’s space on the form to note any special requirements.
The party food will be served outdoors, weather permitting.

Guided walks and demonstrations
Our guided walks and demonstrations with in-house experts provide a unique and personal insight into ways of the wood.
These sessions last about 1¼ hours, covering up ¾ mile, or the ¼ mile path for the less mobile. If it’s very wet, we can give a talk and demonstration in the barn. Price includes admission, so you can stay as long as you like before and after your guided walk.

Choose from

1. “About Wilderness Wood” – find out how the wood ticks from the people that run it – including its history, wildlife and how we grow wood. Can include a demonstration – have a go yourselves!
2. “Poison, glue and magic” – peculiar and interesting old uses of plants. Especially good at bluebell time (April/May).
3. “Woodland fungi – death or dinner?” (Sept/Oct). Look into the amazing world of toadstools, with Anne Yarrow.



£135 per group of up to 20 people, including admission

Click here for a booking form

Explore on your own
Want to do your own thing? Follow the signed ¾ mile woodland trail or the ¼ mile easy-access path with leaflets about the woodland and activities and spotters for children – or just wander where the mood takes you. For a seasonal focus you can enjoy the bluebell walk in April/May, folklore trail in June-Aug, and chestnut trail in October.