After a long time in the making, we are very excited to finally introduce three permanent trails to Capel Manor Gardens.
The Trails have been designed to give our younger visitors a new way to explore, learn and interact with the natural world around them.
Three trails, three ways to explore the Gardens
With 30 acres to explore, Capel Manor Gardens is full of fascinating plants, flowers and wildlife. The trails are divided into three themes: Leaves, Flowers and Bugs.
Each trail features five permanent rubbing plaques to find around the Gardens. Once children discover a plaque, they can place the corresponding page of their booklet over it and use a crayon to reveal the image beneath.
The subjects featured on the plaques have all been carefully chosen to connect with the Gardens. On the Leaves Trail, for example, children will discover familiar British plants and trees including bracken, field maple, hazel and holly. The Bugs Trail introduces some of the smaller creatures that help our grounds thrive, while the Flowers Trail celebrates some of the colourful blooms that can be discovered across our estate.
By connecting the rubbings with real plants, flowers and wildlife around them, we hope children will notice things they may otherwise have missed.
Your Trail Passport
Every good explorer needs a passport!
Visitors taking part can purchase their very own Trail Passport from Reception.
Inside, there is a dedicated space for the rubbing image from every plaque, alongside information about each discovery. We’ve also filled the passport with fun facts, nature knowledge and challenges to complete along the way.
The Trail Passport is designed to make children curious about what they’re seeing rather than simply rushing from one plaque to the next. Our fun challenges encourage them to explore their surroundings to find real examples of their discoveries growing or living within the Gardens.
By the end, their passport becomes a keepsake filled with all the rubbings they have collected during their visit.
Rewards
Of course, no adventure would be complete without a reward at the end!
Children can earn a reward for each individual trail they complete, giving them something to work towards as they make their way around the Gardens. Those who manage to conquer all three Capel Manor Gardens’ trails will receive a special final reward for completing the whole challenge.
With five plaques on each trail, that means there are 15 rubbings to collect across the Gardens. Children can tackle all three in one big adventure or return to complete another trail on a future visit.
The Adventure continues at Forty Hall Farm
The fourth trail is our bonus Farmland Trail at Forty Hall Farm, located just a couple of minutes away from Capel Manor Gardens.
Finished all three trails? There’s still one more section of your Trail Passport that needs completing.
The Farmland Trail celebrates life on the Farm. Children can continue filling their Trail Passport while discovering subjects including tractors, apples, sheep, cows and even one of the Farm’s most unusual residents, beavers!
Forty Hall Farm is a certified organic farm with a variety of animals, including many rare breeds. The Farm is home to London’s only organic commercial vineyard, the Forty Hall Vineyard, as well as a community orchard, a market garden, popular local veg bag scheme Enfield Veg Co., and a Farm Shop. The Farm also serves as an educational resource for students from Capel Manor College.
