Quest Along The Great Binfield Copse Story Trail, Basingstoke
Great Binfield, The Giant of Basingstoke is a story trail that guides you on a quest to find Great Binfield, a giant who lives in a woodland castle guarded by giant birds, stag beetles and centipedes.
Along the way you must collect magical items, cast spells and dodge bramble traps whilst keeping an eye out for signs of the giant.
Great Binfield Copse
The setting for the story trail is Great Binfield Copse, a smallish area of ancient woodland surrounded by housing developments, Chineham Shopping Centre and the A33.
The Story Trail
The trail starts outside Chineham Library in Chineham town centre and winds its way along a path that darts in and out of woods, fields and residential roads.
The story encourages interaction with the surroundings so try to read the story before you go so you can prompt your children!
Binfield Wood Play Area
There is a play area at Number 5 in the story called Binfield Wood Play Area, which makes a fun stop and a good place for a snack. It also doubles as the giant’s castle!
Great Binfield the Giant
We had lots of fun on this story trail with its magic, spells and statues and my children became really involved.
The Mystery of the Missing Numbers
When we visited, the land between Numbers 2 and 4 of the story was being developed so the story needed some tweaks:
- Number 2: We struggled to find the flying geese and raised beds. We eventually found the geese by leaving the trail and walking a short way up Binfields Farm Lane (away from the school). We never found the raised beds.
- Number 3: The skeleton of the giant three-headed monster (a lamp post) is not there. Luckily, there are several lamp posts around the roundabout you can use instead, although none of these have three heads. We never found the Number 3 marker.
The Paths
The paths were generally wide and well surfaced. The woodland path between Numbers 4 and 5 was narrower and muddier.
Hampshire CC’s Story Trails
This is one of Hampshire County Council’s Story Trails. These are walks with interactive stories to read along the way, which are told by a cute character called the Story Snail.
Each Story Trail is about one mile long and divided into numbered sections. Numbered markers prompt you to read the sections of the story along the trail.
Finding a Story Pack
To follow the Story Trail you need a free pack that you can either borrow from a specified place (with a Hampshire Library card and a £20 returnable deposit) or download a copy of a story trail from the internet in written or audio form.
Each pack has a map to follow and the trail itself is marked with arrows and/or pictures of the Story Snail.
Visit the Great Binfield Copse Story Trail website
Further Information
Nearest Town: Chineham, Basingstoke
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: RG24 8BQ
Opens: Daily
Cost: Free
Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat in the cafe.
Facilities: Cafe, ice creams, toilets, accessible toilets, picnic area.
How Long We Spent There: 3 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly
Parking: Several options. I used the Chineham Shopping Centre South Car Park (RG24 8BQ), which is the car park marked at the bottom left of the story trail map. If you drive down to the very end of this car park, there are parent and child spaces near the library. The car parks are huge and we parked easily.
Cost of Parking: Free
Wildlife You Might See: Insects and birds.
Information Written: March 2017
Ratings
Our visit to the Great Binfield Story Copse Story Trail in Chineham, Basingstoke, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.
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