Ten free and low-cost ways to spend your summer at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest

Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest has a range of summer activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Free Activities

1. Zog colouring competition

Colour your way to victory in Forestry England’s Zog colouring competition: Win a Zog Prize Bundle! Pick up a colouring sheet from Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest and get creative, feel free to be as colourful and arty as you like! Let your imagination run wild and make Zog roar-some with your unique style.

2. Tree safari activity sheet

Let curiosity guide your journey to discover where some of Bedgebury's amazing trees come from. Learn how to read a tree label and identify which country a tree is from then colour in your tree safari explorers map. Available from the Visitor Centre office from 1 August - 3 September (9.30am - 3.30pm).

3. Hands on cones learning events

On Tuesdays in August, the Learning team will be at the Shipwreck play area to discover the wonders of cones. Explore these fascinating natural treasures, uncover their hidden secrets and learn more about them from 11am – 3pm.

4. Gruffalo Sculptures

Six large wooden Gruffalo sculptures are hiding amongst the trees. The Gruffalo, Fox, Mouse, Snake, Squirrel and Owl are spread out across the pinetum waiting to be found.

It’s a good idea to download our explorer's guide or take a picture of the map at the visitor centre before you start your adventure. The explorer's guide introduces the characters real life animals and the places that they live (habitats), so you can learn more about Bedgebury's wildlife whilst you explore.

5. Earth Photo exhibition

The Bedgebury Pinetum Earth Photo exhibition will display 30 of the 50 final shortlisted entries by 55  photographers and filmmaker, allowing visitors to view the stunning images in a beautiful forest setting. They include a dramatic image by award winner Filippo Ferraro of olive trees ablaze in southern Italy, their sculptural silhouettes lit up by flames, showing the vulnerability of the olive groves and the livelihoods they support.

Low cost

1. Go Ape

Built for the whole family, this is the ultimate tree top experience of wobbly bridges, intricate crossings and an awesome zip wire finale in the breath taking scenery of Kent’s arboretum Bedgebury National Pinetum.  

2. Zog Trail

Grab a Zog trail activity pack for only £4 before starting the trail for lots of fun things to do on your forest adventure. Children can channel their inner Zog by donning a pair of wings and completing fun challenges to collect golden stars. They can also pop on the magic glasses to look for hidden letters along the way to solve a word puzzle. When reaching the end of the trail, they complete a crayon rubbing to get their certificate and take a selfie with Zog!

To complement the trail and to take your dragon training to the next level, there is also a brand new augmented reality app, ‘Zog: A Forest Adventure’, that is free to download. The app has lots of bonus activities to complete including a roar-ometer, a dance challenge and the chance to become Zog.

3. Kent High Weald Partnership summer camps

Kent High Weald Partnership's popular Forest School inspired Summer Camp at Bedgebury Pinetum is back for another fun filled summer. Drop the kids off for an adventurous day of den building, fire lighting, whittling, woodland crafts and much more!

Led by our experience team of forest school leaders and based among the trees of the National Pinetum, the children will enjoy an enriching experience and come home tired, dirty and probably carrying a range of hand whittled objects.

4. Ecstatic Dance

Come and join us for our new event at Bedgebury! Through movement and dance you will let go of any inhibitions, dancing barefoot that is wild and free and among the trees of the National Pinetum.

5. Cycling

Whether you’re an experienced rider or just want to go out for a leisurely cycle – the National Pinetum has it all for you. We have an experienced mountain bike guide who leads a women’s only group, a beginner’s class as well as a general forest fitness 2-hour session. The Bedgebury Forest Cycle Club offer mountain bike coaching for all abilities and ages Or, if you simply want to test out the routes on your own, our onsite cycle shop will help you find your perfect bike.

If you bring your own bikes then we have a 9km blue and 13km red route that are completely free. Vehicle admission charges apply unless a Forestry England member.

To find out more about accessibility at Bedgebury Pinetum, click here.