A popular adventure playground in County Durham is increasing its footprint this summer to provide families with more to discover.
Woven within a Christmas tree plantation, Raby Castle is opening access to a new section of woodland that promises to challenge young visitors with fresh interactive installations and a secluded natural trail.
The Plotters’ Forest, located at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens, will reveal a new route into an area dubbed The Hidden Forest. Set across over an acre of woodland, the expansion works to the north of the existing site are scheduled to be completed in time for the summer holidays from Monday 13 July. The new addition will feature an informal ground-level trail that gently climbs the hillside, incorporating a series of play moments intended to encourage exploration and movement along the way.
Families travelling the new pathway will encounter a series of play experiences, including a cascade wall designed for all ages. Larger installations focus on physical skills, featuring a stilt walk, a balance beam, parallel bars, and a double swing equipped with both toddler and regular seats for multi-age use.
Claire Jones, head of leisure and tourism at the attraction, highlighted the success of the existing site. “Thousands of families have spent countless hours having fun in The Plotters’ Forest since it opened in 2022 and the adventure playground has proved to be immensely popular with visitors from near and far,” she said.
“We hope that revealing a route into The Hidden Forest will ignite young imaginations as they realise the new playscape was always there, hidden amongst the magic of the trees. The forest setting evokes a sense of wonder and invites children to explore, imagine and connect with nature through play, whilst helping each other through the fun but challenging obstacles on the way. We hope to draw out qualities of kindness and support from little ones, whilst also encouraging bravery in their exploration of a new, hidden world.”
Natural design
Raby Castle enlisted world-class playground designers CAP.CO (Creating Adventurous Places Ltd) to deliver the project, following their previous work on the original Plotters’ Forest. Simon Egan, project development fella at CAP.CO, explained the approach to the expansion.
“It has been a great experience coming back to Raby and enhancing the playground even further with The Hidden Forest. We’ve focused on how our play design can instil themes of friendship, bravery and teamwork,” he noted. “We’ve used natural timber throughout to create a tactile experience, and a sense of connection with the existing structures that complements the forest’s stunning palette.”
The existing Plotters’ Forest already offers ground-level trails, high walkways, towers, outdoor musical instruments, a giant memory game, spinning signposts, treetop tunnels, talking tubes, a slide and Mischief Mirrors. It also features a dedicated toddler area with mini turrets, climbing equipment, a slide and a chalkboard.
Freddie Egan, head of creative at CAP.CO, added context to the original build. “The Plotters’ Forest was the first time we’d been challenged to design a play space in such dense woodland and working across a steep slope was also unique to us. By utilising the existing site attributes, we created an amazing, naturally sensory, play experience and something which we’re immensely proud of.”
Access to The Plotters’ Forest and the new Hidden Forest is included in the Raby Family Explorer ticket, which also grants entry to the Hidden Garden immersive experience in the Riding School. The ticket is priced at £65.80 for two adults and two children when booked online in advance until Tuesday 1 September.
