Interactive Trails

Greenspace Designs have been creating interactive interpretation trails for over twenty years. By highlighting local wildlife and features, our sensitively designed interactive multi-use trails can really bring a green space to life. They are a fantastic way to encourage visitor interaction and engagement with the local environment. Visitors love discovering the carved information posts as they explore the trails. Our trail markers also form an excellent educational tool to inform visitors about local ecology, conservation and history. The information can be pitched at various levels to appeal to all ages of visitor. We work primarily with wood but can incorporate a range of different media into our designs to suit every environment including steel rubbing plaques and braille patches. The trails can be incorporated into boardwalk installations if required.

Previous installations have included poetry trails, nature trails, tree trails, bird identification trails, tree leaf trails and seed trails.

Immersive Poetry Trails

Ted Hughes Poetry Trail - Stover Country Park

A significant interpretation installation incorporating sixteen unique carved wooden poetry posts, each post included a carved poem by Ted Hughes on a nature theme. The posts formed the backbone for a two-hour walking trail through Stover Woods. Visitors were encouraged to discover each of the poems which were complemented by sculptures linked to the poem’s subject matter. Each post and sculpture was carefully sited to reflect the wildlife that could be seen or heard in each location within the Country Park. Along the trail were various rest points where picture benches had been installed, the backrest of each bench was carved with a scene from one of the poems. The showpiece of the installation was a 6 foot high open book carved with text and a map of the trail, it also included the author’s likeness laser etched into a slab of local granite .

A separate children’s trail included installations designed around Ted Hughes’ children’s poems the highlight of which was a huge story-tellers chair carved from a single piece of wood.

Interactive Collection Trails

We use a range of materials to cleverly integrate local information and educational themes into trail markers with a mixture of text and imagery. Printed Perspex panels and etched steel information plates can be incorporated into engraved wooden posts for a more tactile interactive experience. This has the added advantage that the panels are easy to replace over time if information needs to be updated.

Adding “rubbings” to posts either as wooden engravings or on stainless steel panels, is a popular way to engage with visitors who can collect rubbings from each post in activity booklets or visitor’s guides.

Wildlife Interpretation Boards

Our artistic carved wildlife interpretation boards contain a wealth of information for your curious visitor whilst blending into the natural surroundings. These are a fantastic way to encourage visitor interaction with your local trails.

Our unique etching process allows us to reproduce incredibly intricate wildlife artwork onto wooden boards. These are installed at suitable points around your trails to reflect local habitats and wildlife. Educational and artistic, these robust display boards will provide many years of visitor engagement with your green space.