Do your kids love Julia Donaldson books? If so, they (and you) may be excited to hear there’s a brand new Christmassy Stick Man Trail at Haldon Forest Park near Exeter in Devon.
Haldon Forest is one of 26 Forestry England sites around the country where you can find the activity trail. It is the latest chapter the successful partnership between Forestry England and Magic Light Pictures, bringing Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved characters to life in natural settings.
Already completed the Stick Man Trail earlier this year? This one is totally new and seasonally festive.
It’s the perfect budget day out or stop off on the way to Cornwall if you’re only passing through Devon.
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What to expect on the new Stick Man Trail
Specially designed for families with young children, the new trail follows Stick Man as he helps Santa deliver the final present.
Follow the route of Haldon Forest’s Discovery Trail, to discover interactive activity panels and hands-on experiences, while keeping a lookout for hidden letters to discover who the special gift is for.
How long is the Stick Man trail at Haldon Forest?
The Discovery Trail at Haldon Forest is 1.5 mile long and is mostly flat. The path is suitable for pushchairs but there are often puddles after rain. Wellington boots are recommended.
Be aware that you have to cross a road twice and the trail is also used by cyclists.
The walk and activities should keep your kids entertained for around an hour.
How much does the Stick Man trail pack cost?
You can follow the trail and look at the activity boards for free, but for some extra activities there’s a Stick Man trail pack. This is available to buy for £4 from Haldon Forest’s Info Pod (open from 10am to 4pm daily) by the car park.
The pack includes:
- a Christmas envelope to colour in
- a Christmas trail leaflet to complete and pencil
- festive stickers for your leaflet and home
- a ‘magic’ reveal lens to uncover hidden letters
- a wooden Stick Man keyring – the perfect keepsake to treasure the adventure.
The Christmas edition of the Stick Man trail continues at Haldon Forest until 4 January 2026.
What’s happened to the Gruffalo Trail?
The Gruffalo Party Trail finished at the start of January 2025, but you can still pick up a Gruffalo Orienteering map to complete while walking the Discovery Trail that the Stick Man trial follows.
This costs £1.50 and is available from the Info Pod.
You can also hire a Forest Activity Bag with tools to help you find out more about the forest and what lives there for £5. This must be returned to the Info Pod but you get a goodie bag to take home.
Where is Haldon Forest Park?
Find the car park where you start the Stick Man Activity Trail at: Bullers Hill, Kennford, Exeter EX6 7XR.
Parking at Haldon Forest
Parking costs £5 for up to two hours, £6.50 for up to four hours and £9 all day. These prices apply all day every day.
Download and use the Ringo app for contactless payment. There is a small additional fee for parking notifications but you can turn these off in your app.
Alternatively, if you visit regularly, you can buy membership for £45 per year, which includes parking.
Find out more about visiting Haldon Forest.
Looking for more thing to do near Exeter? Check out these posts:
Bored kids? Rainy day? Download the Devon Activity Book!
