Wizard Wix’s Willow Warren and beyond

Having recently visited the glorious Hatchlands Park to see the bluebells, we were back to show POD their swanky new treehouse. Managed by the National Trust, Hatchlands Park is a superb place for families especially. As well as the mansion, there’s more green space than you can shake a stick at, lots of trees to climb and an adventure play area. Oh and at this time of year bluebells too.

We didn’t time our visit particularly well as it seemed the car parks were almost full when we arrived. That said, a parking attendant told us there were 3 spaces in the main car park. Amazingly within five minutes we were parked up, out of the car and already through the gates heading towards Great Wix Wood!

If you read this post, you will have spotted the new treehouse Hatchlands Park has built in the Wizard Wix’s Willow Warren. POD knows this natural play area well but she was itching to explore the new treehouse. Not before she’d climbed a few trees though! She’s climbed since she was two so she loves nothing more than launching herself off tree trunks and branches!

The new treehouse is amazing, POD squealed when she saw it for the first time. She’s wanted a treehouse for some time and having said goodbye to the only tree in our garden, this is the next best thing. Taking the willow tunnel route in to the play area, she was up the treehouse steps quick as a flash to have a look around. There’s circular seating in the treehouse with the tree trunk up the centre so it’s a brilliant place to explore or hide out as a few children were.

POD spent a good half an hour in there before heading over to the balance beams and stepping stones. She’s always enjoyed these, even when she was small. Such a contrast to our string bean of a five year old! She loves the bug hotel too although sees it as a makeshift slide or launch pad – any excuse to climb! POD also checked out the dens before taking the maze towards the exit. She would have stayed there all day given the opportunity.

One of the things POD knows Hatchlands Park for is the fairies. A few years back these could be found hanging from the trees above the bluebells although last year they were replaced with fairy doors on some of the trees instead. POD loved knocking on all the doors and chatting to the fairies – who were either in cleaning or out shopping. We knew this time around most of the fairy doors had gone but we didn’t anticipate she’d remember where they all were! We had wails of “but there was a fairy door there, where has the fairy gone?” until we reached Little Wix Wood. Luckily for us, she discovered the chalk boards which temporarily distracted her. She wrote part of her name and drew a pterodactyl as she’s learning about dinosaurs at school.

Our time in Little Wix Wood was dominated by POD looking for fairies and trees to climb although she likes looking at the bluebells too. It’s never a quick walk along the path, as I get distracted by all the pretty, but having only been to Hatchlands recently I really didn’t need any more photos! POD standing in front of the bluebells for a photograph is a rarity although she did stop a couple of times.

Having passed through much of Little Wix Wood, POD found lots of trees to climb – clambering along each like a little monkey. We even turned round at one point to see her jump up and grab a branch a foot above her head! She does gymnastics every week now so that helps but her upper body strength is something else! There’s a reason we nicknamed her ‘Danger Dove’ though! We found a gap in the bluebells so I could photograph her although she stayed still for about a millisecond!

Then around the corner her excitement level hit fever pitch as we discovered a fairy door. It was at that point she wanted her photograph taken so everyone could see she’d located a fairy house! After a little more climbing, she wanted to go on the hunt for fairies (Daddy had already checked out where the fairy doors were). She located one in a tree trunk and another way up high – so high in fact she had to sit on Daddy’s shoulders to knock on the door! She then listened intently at each to see if she could hear a fairy scuttling round inside.

Having left the Little Wix Wood we decided to head towards the highest point on the Hatchlands Park estate rather than go back on ourselves. There’s a grassy path you can follow and for POD, it’s great as it provides her with a wealth of green space for larking around! The view from the top is wonderful and there were many, families and couples alike, enjoying a picnic and the unexpected blast of sunshine. POD felt it was the perfect place to chase Daddy (with her hat over her eyes) but loved rolling down the hill and playing with grass just as much.

As we neared the house, we were able to look back on brilliant blue skies with some of the trademark Hatchlands Park cows ahead of us. Still laughing and generally being silly, we kept our distance so as not to upset them. POD got to see a few calves though which she was very happy about. Having eaten all our snacks, we hoped the queue for the cafe would have gone down by the time we arrived but it hadn’t so we headed home. We did think though, wouldn’t it be amazing if the cobbled courtyard transformed into a farmer’s market in busy times selling pasties and the like! Now there’s food for thought 🙂