Explore the forest, and beyond at Delamere Forest
Forest Rangers
Suitable for families, groups and couples
With an entire forest waiting to be explored, it’s hard knowing where to start! Join our Forest Rangers for a guided tour, taking in some unforgettable views whilst learning a thing or two about the wildlife who call our forests home.
Suitable for families and 5-11 year olds
Become a mini bird detective! Spread your wings and get ready to discover the world of bird spotting and migration. Through exciting games, crafts and immersive activities – put our feathered friends into the spotlight with help from your Forest Ranger.
Suitable for families and pre-schoolers
When imaginations run wild, a love for nature begins to grow. And there’s no better playground than the forest! Your Forest Ranger will guide your tiny explorers through woodland activities and imaginative play – bringing stories to life as they find their first Forest Feeling.
Suitable for families, groups and couples
It’s the simple things in life — like how to light a fire and build a woodland shelter. Learn it all with your Forest Ranger, then it’s time to relax around the campfire, toast some marshmallows and enjoy a well-deserved cuppa from freshly foraged herbs.
Available September to March, suitable for all
Evenings in the forest just got even more extraordinary. Join a guided walk as you uncover the world of biofluorescence, using UV light to unveil a whole new world of wonders.
Outdoor adventures
Forest Spa
You'll need to pre-book our in-cabin spa treatments to make sure we can get everything in place for your stay.
Book your spa experience
Bike hire
Looking to explore more of the forest? Venture out for the day on our bikes and discover acres of woodland, or go at your own pace with full break bike hire. There’ll be a helmet and bike lock for you too, so you can keep your bike just outside your cabin door:
Our cycling options
- Adult bike hire | £18 per day or from £32 per break
- Child bike hire | £15 per day or from £28 per break
- Child seat from £10
- Tag along from £20
- Trailer from £30
Just pre-book in my account, or ask at the Forest Retreat while you're here.
Elvis Owl Nature Trail
Quiz nights
Pottery painting
Rainy days
On rainy days, look out for TV messages for any indoor activities we're running. We also have plenty of board games in the Forest Retreat so why not pop in, pick up a game and grab a drink.
Build a Forest Friend
Looking for something to keep little hands busy indoors?
Head to the Forest Retreat, where mini explorers can build their own Forest Friend to join them on their adventures when they’re back outside. You can pre-book yours so they’re ready and waiting for when you arrive.
Local recommendations Delamere Forest
Pubs and restaurants
Places to visit
Walking trails
Cycling trails
Dog-walking trails
Go Ape
Explore amongst the trees, in a day full of adventure! Save 10% on your Go Ape experience when you stay with us, including on Saturdays.
Look out for our emails with offers and activities to book before your stay – they'll include your unique discount code. Go Ape is close by in Delamere Forest, so you can walk or take a quick drive to experience:
- Go Ape Tree Top Adventure from £18
- Go Ape Tree Top Adventure Plus from £22.50
- Go Ape Tree Top Challenge from £31.50
Activities nearby
Discover local activities and adventures on days out just beyond the forest.
- Crazy golf | from £3pp
- Axe throwing | from £20pp
- Chester Zoo | from £30pp (£24 child)
Wildlife experiences
Wildlife and trees
Wildlife at Delamere Forest
Trees at Delamere Forest
Yew
Found all year round in the forest, the yew is one of the longest-lived native species in Europe, providing food and shelter for woodland animals.
Its evergreen, needle-like leaves grow in two rows along a twig and underneath, the needles each have a raised central vein.
Ash
Ash is one of the most common and beloved trees in the UK. Trees often grow together, forming a tall, domed canopy.
Ash is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers typically grow on different trees. You'll spot the winged fruits of the pollinated female flowers, which fall from the tree during winter and early spring. Ash is also easily spotted in winter, with smooth twigs that have distinctive black, velvety leaf buds.
Hazel
With nuts that are eaten by people, squirrels and hazel dormice, the Hazel is a great source of food and shelter for many other creatures. It’s also home to lots of fungi, mosses and lichen.
Hazel supports lots of species of butterfly and ground-nesting birds, and with its bendy stems, it’s used for lots of weaving, thatching and even in gardening – it’s a conservation hero!
Silver birch
Birch trees are hardy, able to live in a range of temperatures, from as far south as Spain to as far north as Lapland. Birch woods (either downy, silver birch, or both) have a light, open canopy and thrive in dry woodlands, downs and heaths. Their open canopy also helps grasses, mosses, wood anemones, bluebells, wood sorrel and violets to grow.
Silver birch provides food and habitat for more than 300 insect species, as well as homes for nesting birds like woodpeckers.
Goat willow and Grey willow
Soft, silvery and found in damp woodland, the grey willow is where you'll find lots of caterpillars. They feed on its leaves and its fuzzy catkins feed pollinators early in the season. The goat willow is very similar to the goat willow, but its catkins look more like cat's paws, which is why it's also known as the 'pussy willow'.
Alder
Alder's natural habitat is moist ground near rivers, ponds and lakes and it thrives in damp, cool areas such as marshes, wet woodland and streams where its roots help to prevent soil erosion. It can grow in drier locations and in mixed woodland too. The wet conditions found in alder woodland are ideal for a number of mosses, lichens and fungi, and provide food for many caterpillars and insects.
Supporting the forest
We’re more than just a holiday
Nestled within inspiring natural spaces, we offer a unique way to experience and enjoy the UK’s forests, helping you experience and reconnect with nature.
We look after the land we love for us all, protecting wildlife and helping to preserve the forest for the future. By putting nature centre-stage, we give you the best of the outdoors. A sense of freedom and a unique experience, where you feel connected to the forest and to each other. Because you don’t just visit the forest, you really feel it.
And once you’ve found that Forest Feeling, you’ll never let it go.
Let's look after what we love
Help to care for the wildlife around you in small, but important ways. You'll find it's as good for you as it is for nature!
Give nature a helping hand by....
- Creating habitat piles using old logs and branches
- Picking up any litter you see – the forest and wildlife will thank you for it
- Turning off the lights when they’re not in use to reduce energy use
- Using the bins provided to separate your waste and recycle properly
