Gruffalo child

There's a rather brilliant bronze sculpture of the Gruffalo lurking in Cranbrook, and children absolutely lose their minds when they spot it. It's the sort of thing that makes a family walk through town genuinely exciting rather than a trudge to the shops - suddenly everyone's on a quest to find the big scary monster.

The sculpture itself is well-executed and captures that perfect balance between menacing and cuddly that Julia Donaldson's creation manages. Kids will want photos, they'll want to touch it, and younger ones often want to know if it's real. It's free to visit, obviously, and you can incorporate it into a proper wander around Cranbrook's high street without losing much time.

This works brilliantly if you're staying at one of the nearby camping spots - Glassenbury Camping and Hopgarden Glamping are both five-star rated and within a couple of miles. A morning trip into town hits multiple birds with one stone: the kids get their Gruffalo moment, you grab what you need, and everyone's happy. Expect to spend twenty minutes tops at the sculpture itself, unless you've got very young ones who want to act out the entire story on the spot.

Honestly, it's more of a pleasant bonus than a destination in itself. But if you're camping in the area with primary school-aged children, it's absolutely worth the short detour. The execution is proper quality, and it feels personal to the town rather than generic.