Whinlatter Forest: The Stick Man Trail

The Stick Man Trail was present in Whinlatter forest from December and up until the end of January. In contrast to the Squirrel Scurry and Tracks Trail, this trail was clearly marked with directional signs and constantly kept the interest of a young audience by having activities along the way. We discovered no one doing the Squirrel Scurry and Tracks Trail, yet we found that many families were doing the Stick Man Trail and there was certainly a reason why this was the preferred one. The "Stick Man" is based on a children's book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

The trail starting off with a clear marker, signalling the start. The Squirrel Scurry and Tracks Trail did not have a clear starting point and I think a sign saying such is beneficial for children.

Constant markers were present to encourage and explain that you were on track. This could have been useful for the other trails and might have avoided us getting lost!

Each sign was very similar, meaning that you were immediately able to spot one. They also contained the character which marked the trail and were bright and colourful enough to stand out amongst the browns and greens of the forest. It was never far that you had to travel before you found a sign which marked this trail.

Information boards were also present and marked activities that children could complete along the way.

 Some were information, others simply to get the children more involved in the trail.

Many families were undertaking this trail, rather than the others:

Colourful illustrations and minimal text on the information boards would appeal to the younger target audience.

And we did see a number of children undertaking these activites. For example there were a number of dens which had already been made, which was encouraged as an activity in the above image. As we passed, a family were also making their own. Making a den is such a fun, simple idea and is obviously going to appeal to children. However, I liked that the parents could also get involved with this activity, as we saw some parents helping the children make a 'den'.

Next, at one point in the trail there were also a number of other signs that were educational and linked to the below information board. There were hidden on various trees and could have made a fun game for the children to find them all, while also learning.

Other fun activites:

Toward the end of the trail, there were also poems to find, presented on trees. Stories from the Twig Man book were present. I think that the poem and the story should have been separated, as they intertwined and this could have caused some confusion. Perhaps the story would have been better suited at the start of the trail.

Last, a sign marked the completion of the trail, which I think would give the child a sense of success and completion.

 When the trail ended, the play park was present, which seemed like a reward for the children.

Overall, I felt that this trail was so much more successful than the two others and this was evidenced in the number of families undertaking it. Wayfinding signs were clear and frequent. Activities kept children engaged for a long time and differentiated so that the young audience would not grow bored. The only thing that I could think to improve upon was that it would be nice to include booklet with this trail, which perhaps showed a map, like the other two trails were given.