TrailFoxHello, we're Jessica and Nathan
We're the parents behind TrailFox. We live in West Lancashire with our two children, who are 3 and 1, and every idea on this site is one we've tried with them first.
Why we made TrailFox
There wasn't one big moment. TrailFox came out of the ordinary days when the house feels too small, everyone is getting cross, and you know twenty minutes outside would sort most of it.
On those days we'd look for ideas and find reels and TikToks of incredible days out. They looked lovely, but every one seemed to need a free weekend, a long drive, a lot of planning or a bag full of supplies. We rarely had any of those at half past three on a weekday.
What we wanted was much smaller. Grab the wellies and a coat, get out of the door, and have something to do for twenty minutes once we're out there. Ideally with a bit of magic in it, because that's what makes a small child want to go again tomorrow.
So we made it. You tell TrailFox how much energy your child has and where you are (garden, park, street or woods), and it gives you something you can start in under two minutes with whatever is already there.
Who we are
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Jessica Entwistle
Mum, nurse, and TrailFox's chief tester. Jessica tries the activities with the kids, tells Nathan what works and what doesn't, and suggests improvements to the app. She prefers her outdoors flat but doesn't mind it muddy.
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Nathan Entwistle
Dad, designer and developer. Nathan builds the TrailFox app at OakFox, the small studio he runs. When he isn't at a desk he's usually out walking, or somewhere green with the family.
Our two
Our eldest is 3 and would jump in every puddle in Lancashire given the chance. They'll stop dead for any bird or insect, however small. Come autumn, the job is finding the biggest leaves going and kicking through them.
Our youngest is 1 and comes along for everything.
You won't find their names or faces on this site. They didn't sign up for the internet.
Where you'll find us
Most of our outings are twenty minutes round the corner, which is the whole point of TrailFox. When we do get a whole day, these are the places we keep going back to:
- Martin Mere Wetland Centre. Ducks, geese and swans up close, which is heaven for a bird-mad three-year-old.
- Mere Sands Wood. Gentle woodland paths around the lakes. Flat, so Jessica approves.
- Formby. Pinewoods, sand dunes and a big beach, with red squirrels if you keep quiet.
- Rufford Old Hall. Gardens and woodland walks around an old Tudor hall.
- Beacon Country Park. Open hillside, meadows and woods, with views right across Lancashire. The one for burning off energy.
- Brockholes. A nature reserve near Preston, built on old quarry lakes, with a visitor centre that floats.
None of them pay us or know we're mentioning them. We just like them.
How we write the blog
Neither of us is a writer, so we use AI to help us write and structure the posts. The rest is us.
We choose the topics, mostly the questions parents search for, like what to do when a toddler won't go outside. We try every activity with our own two before it goes in a post, and one of us edits every post before it goes live.
Each post carries one of our names. We usually work on them together, so they're split roughly half and half between us.
If something in a post is wrong, doesn't work, or could be better, tell us at support@oakfox.co.uk and we'll fix it.
What we're not
We're not teachers, early years practitioners or forest school leaders. We're parents sharing what has worked for our family outdoors, and what hasn't.
Jessica is a nurse, but nothing on this site is medical advice and the posts aren't clinically reviewed. You know your child and your patch best, so use your judgement near water and roads, and with anything small enough to end up in a mouth. Conkers very much included.
Who makes the app
TrailFox is published by OakFox, the small design studio Nathan runs in West Lancashire. Nathan also built CubTrack, the baby tracker we used through the newborn weeks. The TrailFox core app is free, with no ads and no third-party tracking. The extra activity packs are one-off purchases, never subscriptions.
🦊 Try it on your next twenty minutes
Free on iPhone and Android. Pick an energy level, pick where you are, and go.
Say hello
Questions, ideas, or an activity your family swears by: support@oakfox.co.uk. We read every email.
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