The nation's forests are for all to enjoy
This page offers helpful information to help you plan a stress free visit to Haldon Forest Park.
Toilets
We have four gender-neutral toilets and a gender-neutral accessible toilet with separate ramped access. The accessible toilet door is 880mm wide, manual opening inwards, with no key required. An adult-sized changing mat is available to borrow from the Info Pod.
Needing help
Our friendly visitor services team are first aid and disability awareness trained and can be found at the Info Pod. If they are out in the forest they'll leave a contact number at the Pod.
Arriving at the forest
We have one car park for visitors to Haldon Forest Park. There is no barrier on entering.
The visitor hub is less than 50 metres from the carpark. There is wide, level access to the visitor hub: Info Pod, parking machines, cycle hire, and café.
Car park
We have five accessible parking bays, next to visitor hub, behind the Info Pod. Parking charges apply to all spaces, including for visitors with a blue badge. The car park is managed by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). You can pay on arrival at the machine (card or contactless) or using a mobile with the RingGo app.
Parking is free for Forestry England members.
Payments
Our car parking machines and Info Pod accept payment by card and contactless only.
The cafe
The Ridge Cafe is open daily. There is level access to the front of the cafe through two sets of manual doors. There is ramped access to the sheltered deck at the rear of the cafe. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and the cafe doesn't play music.
There are no toilets in the cafe itself. The visitor toilets are located opposite the cafe entrance.
Well behaved dogs are welcome in the cafe.
Getting out in the forest
Walking
Our walking trails cover varied terrain. All walking trails can be accessed with our all-terrain mobility scooter:
- The Discovery trail is an easy access trail with flat wide paths and regular rest points. This trail is shared with cyclists and horse riders. There are two road crossings with wide wooden chicanes. The Discovery trail is suitable for manual wheelchairs and pushchairs.
- The Raptor trail is mostly surfaced with some steep slopes. The Raptor trail is suitable for most mobility scooters.
- The Butterfly trail includes some uneven, unsurfaced sections and steep slopes. The Butterfly trail is suitable for off-road mobility scooters.
There are no gates on any of our walking trails. Our network of surfaced forest roads includes some steep slopes and is suitable for most mobility scooters.
Cycling
Our cycle hire partner, Forest Cycle Hire, offers a range of adaptive cycle options including recumbents, trikes, and e-bikes, Contact the team to arrange hire.
Seating and shelter
There are plenty of benches to take a rest along the Discovery Trail, around the visitor hub, and in the picnic areas. There is occasional seating on the Raptor and Butterfly trails.
There are two sheltered viewing points on the Discovery Trail. Our Wildlife Hide is also sheltered (no dogs March – October).
Trails and activities
Lots of our walking and cycling trails are comfortable for a range of abilities. See our Things to do page for inspiration.
Below are our favourite accessible activities to try.
