Broom House Farm

About

The Forest Adventure offers families and friends the chance to meet up, explore the outdoors and learn about woodlands. The range of activities mean that everyone gets loads of fresh air and exercise whilst having so much fun they won’t want to go home...there's plenty to fill a couple of hours for both children of all different ages and adults.

The Forest Adventure is composed of different activities & obstacles, these include towers to climb, tunnels to crawl through, slides to whizz down, planks to balance on, zip wires to fly along and many people’s  favourite -  the skateboard tunnel! 

The Oak Tree walk is aimed at all budding Robin Hoods. Set up high amongst the oak trees it is made up of walkways, chutes and low level ropeways.

Visitors don’t have to use the play equipment, instead take a stroll along the winding paths through deliciously scented oak and pine trees down to the viewing towers - a great way to spend an afternoon. There are benches positioned at frequent intervals for resting. A bird hide enables visitors to sit quietly and watch woodland wildlife and birds….woodpeckers, hares, squirrels and deer are frequently spotted.

Wide wood chipped paths are bordered by ferns and wildflowers, with viewing posts looking out over farmyard and across Durham. The light filled tree canopy provides shade on warm days, and shelter on the more typical Durham days.

Friendly dogs are welcome in the Forest Adventure but must be kept on a lead.

Broom House Farm is situated on top of a hill near Witton Gilbert, only 10 minutes from the centre of Durham City, yet when visitors arrive at this hill top farm in the middle of the countryside,  they feel as though they have arrived somewhere with the rural WOW factor!

Once you have paid admission for the trail you can come and go all day; many visitors spend a couple of hours in the forest then head back to the coffee shop or picnic area for lunch – returning to the forest in the afternoon.

Down in the woods there’s a dragon hunt. Follow arrows made from sticks and camouflaged against pine bark to find the dragon in his den high up in the trees.  Along the way there are activity stations - Twig towers, Fairy houses, Mobiles, Woodland pictures, Dragons’ dens, Fir Cone throwing, Tree hugging.

There’s also a much loved tree quiz: learn about Durham’s trees by finding 10 tree shaped information boards dotted around the woodland.  Match the leaves and use the orienteering clippers to complete the quiz sheet. Time yourself to see how quickly you can complete the challenge.

Older children and teenagers can spot 10 letters, well hidden high up in the trees - find all the letters and rearrange them to make a word.

There are general knowledge nature based quizzes for the whole family as well as a  quiz based around identifying animal tracks.

For younger visitors there’s a woodland flower fairies trail and a “Wind in the Willows” trail encourages visitors to find Toad, Ratty, Badger and their friends and enemies from the wild woods – and maybe go home to discover this much loved children’s book/film.

Completed your quiz sheet?  Hand it in for a small prize!

Open daily during school holidays.

Daily extra camp circle forest activity sessions are included in the ticket price. Activities range from marshmallow toasting round the camp fire to wand making, woodland crowns and den building.

We recommend that visitors wear old trainers/walking boots, long sleeved tops and long trousers.

Is the Forest suitable for pushchairs/wheelchairs? There is a special gate for wheeled vehicles to the left of the main entrance bridge. Once inside, the main paths are fairly hard and covered with woodchip.  It all depends on the pushchair/wheelchair, but we do find that most pushchairs are easily wheeled around the wood, as are the more rugged, lighter wheelchairs.  Some paths and equipment are not accessible, but there is access to all the quiz stations and you can leave you pushchair in the wood (at your own risk).

As well as the Forest Adventure there’s a coffee shop with a large grassy play field, a farm shop and a picnic area and as this is a real working organic cattle and sheep farm there are always animals to see in the fields and sheds around the farmyard.

*Please note that children aged under 17 may not visit the woodland unattended.