Family Events & Activities

Bowland Wild Boar Park

See the wildlife which includes red deer, goats, meerkats, water buffalo and more. Lots for children to do including holding young chicks, stroking guinea pigs, tractor rides, barrel rides, outdoor play area and activities to do inside. Great for all the family with picturesque walks by the river Hodder and a popular refurbished café serving home-made food and their own home reared rare breed meat. For further information visit http://www.wildboarpark.co.uk/

Wood End Farm Alpaca Experience

Enjoy an alpaca experience at Wood End Farm and experience the positive effects of nature and being with animals.  An all-terrain wheelchair is also available to hire: https://www.visitwoodendfarm.co.uk/index.php/alpaca-experience 

There are plenty of family-friendly events in our year-round Festival Bowland programme. For details of all events visit our Festival Bowland events page

Simple pleasures

• Pack some pencils and a pad and do a sketch whilst you're out and about
• Find a safe, quiet spot, close your eyes and count how many different sounds you can hear
• See who can be the first to spot ten different wildflowers!
• Keep an eye out for wildlife and record your sightings at www.lancashire.gov.uk/lern
• Write a poem about your day out in Bowland.  We'd love to see it!

Push-chair and family-friendly walks

There are a number of walks that are accessible for pushchairs and there's a whole series of shorter walks (0-3 miles) which you can choose from on our Walking Routes page (use the filters to search at the top of the walking page) http://forestofbowland.com/walking

It's a free and great way to see some of the wonderful scenery of Bowland!

Pendle Sculpture Trail, Aitken Wood, Barley -  Four artists have created sculptures that centre on the famous trial of the Pendle Witches to mark the 400th anniversary of that event. The artists are Phillipe Handford, Martyn Bednarczuk, Sarah McDade and Steve Blaylock.  The story is told through the trail in Aitken Wood, beneath Pendle Hill, which features sculptures made out of stone, wood and metal. The route is also Tramper friendly. Visit Pendle for further information.

Beacon Fell Country Park – spectacular panoramic views across Bowland. Great day out with car parking, picnic areas and a cafe. Beacon Fell provides the ideal day out for all the family with plenty of walks, and a sculpture trail. For further information visit Lancashire County Council website

Ribble Valley Sculpture Trail, Clitheroe - includes over 20 permanent works of art. The trail is through Brungerley Park and Cross Hill Quarry, a local nature reserve managed by the Lancashire Wildlife trust, only a mile from Clitheroe town centre. It's also a lovely walk along the River Ribble.https://www.visitpendle.com/things-to-do/pendle-sculpture-trail-p841880

There are some lovely, picturesque villages in Bowland all waiting to be discovered. The following also have good facilities including parking, toilets, playgrounds, lovely picnic spots and sometimes a tearoom or a village green to feed the ducks. Here are just a few examples of villages to visit:

• Barley
• Chipping
• Dunsop Bridge
• Scorton
• Slaidburn
• Waddington

For further information and more ideas visit our villages page www.forestofbowland.com/towns_and_villages

Later in the year go along to one of the area's agricultural shows , they are traditional shows and a great way to soak up the essence of Bowland - the perfect family day out.

Goosnargh and Longridge:www.glashow.org.uk

Garstang: www.garstangshow.org 

Chipping: www.chippingshow.co.uk

Bentham:  www.nwshows.co.uk

Hodder Valley: www.hoddervalleyshow.co.uk

Or take a look at the Community Pages to find out what's taking place locally.