Gruffalo Spotter App at Thetford Forest

We have visited Thetford Forest every year since Adam was born. Over the years we have been on the Gruffalo Trail, met the Gruffalos Child, seen the Stick Man trail and met Superworm. This year the Forestry Commission and Magic Light Pictures have teamed together to bring The Gruffalo characters to life through a new augmented reality app. See how we got on with The Gruffalo Spotter App at Thetford Forest.

The Gruffalo Spotter App is free to download on your phone and is designed for exclusive use at 26 forests across England. It is advisable to download the app before your visit as we found internet connection was limited at Thetford Forest.

The self-led trail takes you around the forest where you can follow clues along the way to track down signs of the characters from The Gruffalo.

There are five large footprint markers along the interactive trail. You point your phone at the footprint and the app brings the characters to life. The augmented reality technology enables the characters to blend in within the forest around you. After a short animation you are able to photograph your children with the characters. We first met Mouse who climbed on a tree stump.

We had great fun trying to get Adam lined up for a kiss from Fox.

Whilst you are taking photographs the characters continue to move around.

Adam wanted the majority of his photos to look like he was hugging the characters.

Without a doubt meeting the Gruffalo was the highlight of the trip. We have endless photos of Adam interacting with Gruffalo, rubbing their bellies and laughing together.

The Gruffalo Spotter trail is short and ideal for little ones. We ended up visiting each footprint at least twice as Adam loved watching the animations and wanted to try out different poses with the characters.

You can also purchase a Spotters Activity Kit from the visitor centre. This costs £3. It is not required to complete the trail but provides additional activities. Each bag contains 5 animal activity and facts cards, a Spotter’s Guide, stickers of The Gruffalo characters, a special magnifying glass, ruler and a pencil. We started using the Spotters Activity Kit along the route but Adam has enjoyed using it more since returning home.

The Gruffalo Spotters trail is not the only thing to do at Thetford Forest. The Gruffalo, Gruffalo’s Child and Superworm sculptures are still hidden around the forest. Furthermore, there are so many amazing adventure play areas, sound trails and various walks so there is something for the whole family.