50 things to do at Longshaw

At Longshaw, our top picks from the 50 things list are:

#4 Build a den

Just below the main car park we've created some space for you to build a den amongst the trees. What shape will your den be and what can you fidn to put inside it? Can you make one to fit the whole of your family? explore the woods across the path to find the homes of the Longshaw boggarts- magical creatures who help the ranger to take care of Longshaw. You can follow their trail with a Boggart Trail sheet from the shop for just 

#18 Create some wild art 

There’s lots of inspiration here for wild art, from the long views of the Peak District hills nearby, to our wildlife and fungi.  Collect interesting natural objects from the ground (please don't pick), create pictures or sculptures and then leave them for everyone to enjoy. If you take a photo why not upload it to our facebook, twitter or instagram pages at peakdistrictnt?

#31 Hunt for bugs

Get close up to Longshaw and see how many tiny creatures you can spot amongst the grasses and trees. You can follow the trail of the fascinating and rare Northern Hairy Wood ant -buy a trail booklet from the shop for £1. If you loko carefuly on the orange waymarked route, you may spot some o fthier nests amongts the trees. You cna also try out the Magnifying Glass trail every day in May half term, to zoom into Longshaw and explore worlds within worlds.

#44 Go bird watching

There are birds galore to spot here, from garden birds which are easy to spot from outside the cafe to ground-nesting moorland birds such as skylark and curlew.  Our rangers put up nestboxes in the woods at Padley Gorge for pied flycatchers who return from Africa in mid-April in need of a home. 

#46 Try rock climbing

Longshaw and the Eastern Moors are home to some of the most famous and iconic crags in the country.  The rock, millstone grit, is known for the quality of the routes.  Whether you try scrambling on the boulders around Longshaw (please take care), or sign up to one of our climbing courses led by professional guides (see our what's on page for details), Longshaw’s a great place to try climbing.

But these five are just a start!  You can go on a really long bike ride, (pick up a free Bridleways leaflet from Longshaw) climb a really big hill (try Higger Tor).