VISITORS to Alice Holt Forest can now enjoy a brand new café with extra seating and additional facilities, after a £2.3 million investment by the Forestry Commission.

The new cafe opened on Wednesday last week and is located next to the current visitor centre. The seating capacity is more than double that of its predecessor, with more than 100 seats inside, and 120 outside.

Landscape changes have also improved access for all abilities at Alice Holt, and car park improvements have been made to create more spaces, including purpose built disabled parking.

Safer pedestrian zones and a turning area have been introduced, helping to improve access and traffic flow.

Other changes include a new wood pellet boiler that provides clean and sustainable energy to the visitor centre and café, reduced staff traffic on site, and additional planting areas.

A spokesman for the Forestry Commission said: “We want our visitors to have the best possible time while they’re at Alice Holt Forest.

“Over the years, we’ve become more popular so need to improve the facilities to make sure we deliver much needed extra capacity and help to meet the growing demands on site.

“This exciting redevelopment marks a new chapter in Alice Holt’s history and we can’t wait for our visitors to see the new cafe.”

Alice Holt also recently unveiled a new Gruffalo Spotters Trail, with clues dotted at regular intervals along the forest’s easy access path for little detectives to explore.

And work is continuing on the forest’s new ‘purpose built’ activity centre, again located next to the visitor centre and part-funded by The National Lottery. For more information visit the website https://www.forestry.gov.uk/aliceholt.