LIGHTING THE WOODS
Take time to pause,
To breathe, to walk, to wander,
To enjoy the woods of Buxton.
Step out in the darkest time of the year into an evening of wonder and remember summer flowers, butterflies, autumn toadstools and appreciate the winter cold
On Saturday February 21st 2026, we invite you to take a walk through Grinlow Woods…tiny lanterns will flicker among tree roots, giant tree people will watch from the shadows, leaf-lanterns and shimmering birds will fill the branches. Join us for an evening of wonders
Creeping Toad is joining forces with Stone and Water, the Babbling Vagabonds and Buxton Civic Association to create Lighting the Woods, a project that will celebrate the woods of Buxton. The underlying theme is just that: "local woods: their wildlife and wonder"
And it depends upon our town's creativity to make it happen! We need to people to help make tiny lanterns, create woodland windows that will fit together into curtains to hang, nimble fingers to make little glowing animals!
The plan
We're aiming to set up a short self-guided walk from the car park at Poole's Cavern on Saturday 21st February in a loop round the woods. The walk will be there for about 3 hours and there will be lanterns to glow over, poems to read, small, strange characters to spot…big, strange characters to wave to!
There will be public events in January and February where anyone can come along (dates and venues below) and make a lantern to add to the collection (and make another to take home!).
Events
Public events are still finalising: hopefully a couple more will join this list
All events are free
January:
Sunday 25th: at Poole's Cavern: Woodland windows and wild birds : free, drop-in public event: woodland inspired art. Coinciding with RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch, we'll be encouraging people to have a go here at the Cavern but then to take information away to do a Birdwatch survey of their own at home
Event link: https://fb.me/e/5swu3d7Qk
Times:10.30-3.00
Venue: Buxton Country Park, Temple Road, Buxton, SK17 9DH
Moreinformation about the Birdwatch:
https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch
February: we’ll add details nearer the time:for now, get these dates in your diary!
Sunday 15th: Buxton Country Park: bottle lanterns: drawing on the patterns of winter trees, leaf skeletons and the shapes of hibernating animals
17th Buxton Library: bugs and beasties: using shiny scrap and fluorescent card to give us some wildlife for the final event
19th: ss at the Crescent: we’re joining the BCHT for their “Where we live is…Creative’ event. Come along and make some woodland wonders! We’re going for bottle lanterns, shadow shapes, tree windows and general wildness
21st: Lighting the Woods: final event: late afternoon wanderings in Grinlow Woods
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