Oh wait, oh no... it's a Gruffalo!

Like many little ones and toddlers, Ethan is a big fan of The Gruffalo book, and The Gruffalo's Child, and we even have a few pieces for his bedroom that are Gruffalo themed. So you could say that we were long overdue a trip to the deep dark woods to go on a Gruffalo trail, using the recently launched Gruffalo Spotters app from the Forestry Commission - but last weekend we made it to Cannock Chase and enjoyed some Gruffalo spotting in the sunshine.

It's around a 40 minute drive from where we live so not that far really and it's such a beautiful spot to visit. There's bike trails and Go Ape plus various spots to stop off, park up and explore. If you visit the Birches Valley welcome point, there's an information centre and coffee shop and it's here where you can pick up your Gruffalo Activity Pack, complete with guide, stickers, information sheets, a pencil and a magnifying card, for just £3.

Parking here is £1.50 for an hour or £4 for the day (bring change) and it's a great starting point for your Cannock Chase adventures.

Ethan was really excited to find the mouse, fox, owl, snake and, of course, the Gruffalo and we took our dog Watson along for the adventure.

We downloaded the app before we left the house and as you go around the trail, you look out for the round signs before your you point your phone at it to activate the animation. Each of the characters appear as you go around, in turn, and you can take your photo with them to keep as a memory.

Ethan loved exploring and was so excited each time he found a character.

The trail is approximately one mile long and, depending on how little your little ones are or how fast they follow the clues, it takes around 30-40 minutes I'd say.

There's lots more to Cannock Chase besides the Gruffalo trail, including a few playground areas that have plenty of swings and slides and forts to play on, so I'd definitely recommend it as somewhere well worth visiting. Bring some change for the car park, take along a picnic or pick up something in the cafe and keep your eyes peeled for the Gruffalo and friends.