Review: Moors Valley Halloween Experience
We love Moors Valley Country Park and it was a regular must visit location when the kids were younger as not only is the play trail lots of fun, but there also organise regular events such as the Gruffalo Trail.
New for 2024, there is something for the older kids to enjoy with a Halloween illuminated trail.
Running from Friday 25 October to Sunday 03 November, with booked timeslots between 4 and 9pm, this experience is packed full of hidden surprises!
If you have little ones with you, I recommend you wander the trail at dusk. If you have older ones like me, the darker it gets, the spookier it gets…
It really is a feast for all the senses with spooky lighting, atmospheric music and noises and actors telling stories. There is no jump scares or really scary moments, it’s all spooky family fun, but I did notice mine look out for speakers or speed up slightly through certain areas of the trail.
The trail entrance is to the left of the Go Ape building, where you enter a food village with treats like bewitched burgers and Frankenstein’s fries. There is also the chance to stop and get a chocolate apple or pumpkin marshmallow and hot drink half way through the trail.
As you explore the forest, you discover a secret cemetery hidden in the trees. People say that it’s haunted by a ghostly undertaker and surrounded by lost souls, woodland spirits and creaking coffins.
If your kids have sensory issues, be aware that you will hear thunderstorms, crows, wolves and voices coming from the trees and there is no way to divert off the path.
You will also come across horrible highwaymen and larger-than-life spiders as you walk the hour long trail loop.
We only saw three actors along the trail and they definitely understood their audience with a lighter, more friendly versions of their characters for the younger members of the audience.
Tickets for the Halloween Experience at Moors Valley cost £16 per adult and £12 per child with under 2’s free.
Top Tips
- Buy parking before you go. The usual parking pay points are closed and there was a long queue as we headed in to the carpark as they were taking parking payments as people drove into the car park
- Visit the toilet before you start the trail. There are two portable toilet units to use, one by the visitor centre and one in the food village before you start the trail.
- Wear sensible shoes. The trail takes you through the forest trails, so can be wet, muddy and uneven in places
- Dress up – it was lovely seeing everyone in their costumes
- Take a torch – although the trail is lit, having a torch helped for the darker sections and also helped one of the younger members of our party reassure themselves that the noises they heard came from a speaker
- Drop a pin when you park your car – the carpark is trickier to navigate in the dark
- Manage expectations with food and drink – its quite pricey, I paid £13 for a marshmallow stick and chocolate apple
@chelseamamma Absolutley loved the Halloween Trail at Moors Valley Country Park – the perfect mix of atmospheric and spooky @ForestryEngland #moorsvalley #fyp #foryoupage #halloweentrail #miorsvalleycountrypark #halloween #spooky #atmospheric ♬ Spooky Ooky – NotYeti
Disclaimer: We were guests of RGL Live. All thoughts and opinions are our own
