Abbotsbury Swannery has teamed up with Brambly Hedge to create a seaside story trail for children and families.

This year’s trail at the Swannery is based on one of the eight classic books in the Brambly Hedge collection, Sea Story.

The stories authored by Jill Barklem follow the lives and adventures of a community of self sufficient mice who live in Brambly Hedge.

The trail takes visitors around the Swannery grounds, to discover more about the swans and the adventurous mice.

With a focus on being close to nature and enjoying each season in the countryside, the stories encourage children to explore their surroundings.

Abbotsbury Swannery manager, Charlie Wheeler, said: “The Brambly Hedge stories celebrate nature and encourage children to discover the outdoors.

"The Swannery embraces this philosophy too, making the introduction of the Sea Story trail a wonderful activity for families and visitors this season.

“The Sea Story book follows the mice on a journey downstream to the sea which fits perfectly with our location.

"The wonderful illustrations from the books are featured in the activity booklet and around the grounds. You can almost imagine it taking place here.

“With stamp points, characters to meet and an activity booklet, there is plenty to do, alongside feeding the swans and discovering more about the Swannery.

“Our collaboration with Brambly Hedge is very exciting for the Swannery as we continue to look for new ways to attract visitors to our stunning west Dorset location and discover our unique Swannery, now home to the Brambly Hedge mice.”

Brambly Hedge director Peter Barklem added: “The Abbotsbury Swannery trail offers a unique experience for children and adults to immerse themselves in Sea Story, following the stream down through the trail to the Fleet and to the sea beyond.

"Jill was passionate about the countryside and celebrated the beauty and detail found in nature through each season.

"We’re looking forward to introducing Sea Story to a whole new audience and bringing the book to life in the beautiful surroundings of the Dorset countryside at Abbotsbury Swannery.”

The trail will run throughout the 2024 season at the Swannery and the gift shop will feature a selection of Brambly Hedge books, gifts, and souvenirs.

Abbotsbury Swannery is open daily from 16 March to 3 November 2024.