Top ten things to do this Halloween and October half term

Have a terror-ific time at the Essex Country Parks this Halloween and October half term and pick up or download a FREE Spooky Trail. A totally fang-tastic day out for all the family!

Count the curious creatures and creepy characters lurking in the park. Find the magic letters and help the rangers to create a spell to send the ghouls home!

Available at:

1. Belhus Woods Country Park
2. Cressing Temple Barns
3. Cudmore Grove Country Park
4. Danbury Country Park
5. Great Notley Country Park
6. Thorndon Country Park (North)
7. Weald Country Park

Running from Saturday 18 October to and including Sunday 2 November 2023.

• Download the Spooky Trail to print at home (coming soon)

Find the individual listings at the bottom of this page.

Discover how to enter the prize draw to win an Explorer Pass below.

Trails are supported by the Essex Year of Numbers.

We’ve created an Autumn and Winter Spotters Guide to encourage you to get exploring. Can you find five or more of these seasonal items on your next visit to one of our country parks?

Collect leaves in an array of colours, find pine cones for crafts, keep your eyes peeled for a squirrel, see if you can spot a duck on the lake and look out for brightly coloured berries on the bushes or mushrooms on the ground.

(Please be careful not to touch the mushrooms and berries or trample anything underfoot.)

Have a horrifyingly good time this Halloween crafting these stick spider web decorations.

Choose an Essex Country Park to visit to collect sticks and then read our Essex Explorer Magazine for instructions on how to make these simple, fun Halloween decorations.

To get started, all you need is:

• Scissors
• Three sticks
• Some wool or twine
• Battery powered fairy lights (not essential)

Book your little ones on to Spooky Forest School sessions at Danbury Country Park this half term holiday.

Enjoy amazing activities such as potion and broomstick making, cook ghoulish marshmallows on the camp fire, take part in a scary Scavenger Hunt and so much more (activities may vary depending on the weather!).

Running on Thursday 30 October at 10am to 12pm and 12.30pm to 2.30pm at Danbury Country Park.

Sessions must be booked online in advance and are suitable for three to ten-year-olds.

Sibling discounts are available.

(Please note that in order to provide a high-quality experience and materials, we won't be able to accommodate drop-ins on the day.)

Discover Forest School and our term time sessions for the under five's and home educated.

There are still spaces at Family Forest School once a month on a Saturday.

And block book your term time spaces at Woodland Play for the under five's or Home Ed sessions. All held at Danbury Country Park near Chelmsford.

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler book fans will love exploring the deep dark wood at Thorndon Country Park in Brentwood. Find The Gruffalo, Snake, Owl and more characters on this magical self-led wooden sculpture trail.

Travel 10 mins by car to nearby Weald Country Park and you can also meet Stick Man in his Family Tree. Walk along the pathways, past the resident deer and by the lake to meet more familiar characters from the much-loved book, illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Pick up a trail map from the café when you arrive and let the kids lead the way.

Autumn is a great time to explore the great outdoors, enjoy beautiful golden scenes, crisp air, fiery foliage, and rustling leaves.

We’ve pulled together a selection for you to choose from - get active and enjoy the many wonders of nature.

Read our NEW autumn walks blog. 

Don't get too cosy this Autumn, head to Sky Ropes at Great Notley Country Park instead for a fun half term family adventure.

Swing, swoop and soar on our specially designed two level Sky Ropes course. Test your balance, speed and agility whilst navigating a wide array of obstacles in the sky.

Bring your friends and create your very own exciting adventure!

The course is open at weekends in October and throughout the half term break (27 - 31 October 2025).

Book your tickets here.

In Harlow,climb high, challenge yourself to different levels and explore the hexagon tower for those who can reach 180cm with their arms fully stretched. Or try the Climbing Wall Adventure - five different fun and funky walls to test your climbing skills and build confidence for ages 6+. Book online.

Get creative with our spooky Halloween activity and colouring sheets.

• Download a Halloween Mysteries puzzle sheet to print and complete at home.
• Download these fang-tastic Halloween Activities to do at home.
• Download our Autumn Spotter's Guide which also includes a fun autumn themed activity sheet.

Schools out, again... but you're in luck!

Make this half-term memorable by booking the kids onto an Essex Outdoors school holiday activity day.

In small groups of around 10, children (aged 8-16) will enjoy four exciting activities each day with enthusiastic and highly qualified instructors.

Sessions range from high ropes, climbing and zip wire, to water sports including canoeing and stand-up-paddleboarding, to archery, mountain biking and bushcraft.

Childcare doesn’t have to cost a fortune! Days start from only £40, at either Danbury, Mersea, Bradwell or Harlow.

Find out more on their website. 

Complete the Spooky Trail and encourage your children to add up their answers to find the 'magic number' to help complete the spell to send the monsters back to where they came from.

Email in your magic number total to: Explore-Essex@essex.gov.uk to enter our prize draw.

You could win an Explorer Pass (worth £85) and a goody bag or Sky Ropes voucher.

Good luck!

These activities are supported by the Essex Year of Numbers, a countywide campaign that aims to inspire a love of learning, with a focus on numeracy.