Having moved during the peak of the pandemic, we have not had the opportunity to explore our new local area much, if at all, over the past few weeks. As lockdown measures are easing and the girls were going stir crazy, Mr ESLT and I decided we should really start venturing past the top of our street and get back to some sort of normality. Therefore, we researched child-friendly things to do in our new town, Hessle. We were very happy to find Bridgehead Woods Hessle as a top child-friendly recommendation with the added bonus of it being a mere 5 minutes walk from our house. And an even bigger bonus – it’s free. Perfect if you are looking for budget-friendly days out.
What Will I Find Here?
Bridgehead Woods is a woodland nature (and art) trail offering a 1km walk. This woodland is being managed and improved for wildlife by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. It is home to over 8,000 shrubs and hedgerows, 4,500 herbs and bulbs and more than 200 trees. The length of the walk is perfect for little legs. Making it a great place to head if you have small children. It took us around 1 hour, but we could have easily stayed longer. Along the trail, there are a number of pieces of artwork which have been designed and created by children from two local schools – All Saints CE Junior School and Hessle High School. Making the walk interesting for all the family.
With woven willow dens, funky bird feeders, bird boxes with wings high in the trees and a colourful insect hotel, plus many more installations, there is plenty to see and explore. Our girls loved the freedom that Bridgehead Woods offers. Also because it isn’t massive, we felt comfortable letting them run a little ahead to see what they could discover next. Obviously we were very conscious about social distancing and when we visited, it was easy to do. However we visited mid-week, we imagine weekends are much busier.
Our favourite piece on the walk is definitely the bird’s nest. Local artist Liz Dorton together with local children created a giant 10ft bird's nest. It was made using a dead hedge technique; weaving twigs and branches around branch 'pillars' in two concentric circles and filling with wood. Something we have never heard of before but can confirm it looks brilliant. Especially as it also has 3 big, bright, mosaic eggs in it. The girls were very excited by these and kept asking when they would hatch.
How Do I Find Bridgehead Woods Hessle?
Bridgehead Woods is actually located behind the Bridgehead Business Park and next to the waste and recycling centre (the tip) on the outskirts of Hessle. It can be quite tricky to get to if you are not familiar with the area. Therefore it’s probably for the best to just put the postcode in your sat nav if you have one. Or simply Google Map it on your phone. the postcode is HU13 0LN.
Once you turn onto the business park, take the first left (so Beals head office is on your left). Then follow the road until you reach Tip Toes Nursery. You can then park. I will update this post regarding parking after our next visit. This is because the only spaces we saw were reserved for the businesses on the industrial park. However, according to my research, there are free dedicated parking spaces.
Are There Any Facilities for Visitors?
In a word no. There are a couple of pubs close by – Wingfield Farm and Home Farm (which also has a soft play area) if you need the loo or fancy a pub lunch. However, as it stands they are both currently closed. So basically make sure you pay a visit before setting off from home. It is a great place to take a picnic. Or even pick up a take out from Moe’s Kitchen, located on Bridgehead Business Park which offers takeaway food and drinks. However, because of social distancing again during weekends, the obvious places to pitch up and have a picnic may become full quickly because of the extra space between people that is recommended.
We don’t know if there are any plans to ever offer facilities but we guarantee an ice cream van on a hot summer day would make a killing.
We had a lovely time at Bridgehead Woods and our first visit certainly won’t be our last.
