Bucks &amp; Oxon


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1830" height="1220" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum222.jpg" alt="Fantastic Mr Fox The Roald Dahl Museum Great Missenden" class="wp-image-205990" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum222.jpg 1830w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum222-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum222-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum222-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum222-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1830px) 100vw, 1830px" /></figure>



<p>Let&#8217;s be honest – kids can be spectacularly fickle when it comes to books. One week they&#8217;re demanding <em>just one more</em> bedtime reading (complete with voices, actions and an encore), the next their former favourite is gathering dust beneath a pile of plastic dinosaurs and rogue LEGO. Not <em>Fantastic Mr Fox</em>, though.</p>



<p>Roald Dahl&#8217;s cunning hero has been charming sticky-fingered readers for more than 50 years (true fact: it was Muddy&#8217;s very first bedtime book), while Wes Anderson&#8217;s gloriously quirky 2009 film starring the effortlessly cool George Clooney proved Mr Fox has plenty of cross-generational appeal. Good stories, it turns out, never go out of style.</p>



<p>If you know Buckinghamshire, you&#8217;ll already have <a href="https://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Roald Dahl Museum &amp; Story Centre</a> in Great Missenden firmly on your radar. But this summer it&#8217;s gone full fox, with <em>A Fantastic Foxy Summer</em> taking over the museum. Think crafty workshops, woodland adventures, storytelling, village trails and enough foxy fun to keep even the &#8220;I&#8217;m boooored&#8221; brigade entertained. Here&#8217;s why we&#8217;d make a beeline for it.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-crafty-and-gloriously-messy">Get crafty (and gloriously messy)</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1830" height="1220" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum447.jpg" alt="Fantastic Mr Fox Roald Museum Great Missenden" class="wp-image-205993" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum447.jpg 1830w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum447-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum447-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum447-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum447-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1830px) 100vw, 1830px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The museum has plenty of crafty workshops on this summer. </figcaption></figure>



<p>Forget colouring sheets. This is proper hands-on, sleeves-rolled-up creativity. Inspired by Mr Fox&#8217;s battle with Boggis, Bunce and Bean, children can build wonderfully bonkers <a href="https://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/event/boggis-bunce-and-beans-digging-machines/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">digging machines from recycled junk</a>, create miniature Chiltern landscapes or get delightfully mucky making a <a href="https://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/event/clay-foxy-feast/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clay Foxy Feast</a> worthy of the story&#8217;s famous banquet.</p>



<p>There are LEGO animals, paper crafts and plenty more besides, making this perfect for kids who&#8217;d rather make something than simply read about it. Workshops carry a small extra charge and are excellent value – just don&#8217;t hang about booking, as the most popular sessions disappear quicker than a chicken from Boggis&#8217;s farm.</p>



<p>Fancy something more spontaneous? Pop into the free craft room to create fox-inspired masterpieces, help build a giant collaborative artwork or challenge the family to Pin the Tail on the Fox and Chuck a Chicken in the courtyard.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stretch-little-legs-without-the-moaning">Stretch little legs without the moaning</h2>



<p>Miracle of miracles: a family walk where nobody asks, &#8220;Are we nearly there yet?&#8221; <a href="https://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/event/awesome-animals-village-trail/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Awesome Animals Village Trail</a> transforms Great Missenden into one giant storybook. Led by actor Michael, families hunt for fox tunnels, pheasants and other Dahl-inspired creatures while picking up local secrets, literary nuggets and plenty of storytelling along the way. It&#8217;s sightseeing with considerably less eye-rolling.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lights-camera-fox">Lights, camera&#8230; fox!</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1830" height="1220" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum227.jpg" alt="GIR READING BOOK AT ROALD DAHL MUSEUM GREAT MISSENDEN" class="wp-image-205991" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum227.jpg 1830w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum227-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum227-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum227-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum227-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1830px) 100vw, 1830px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Older kids get to create their own Wes Anderson inspired animation</figcaption></figure>



<p>Calling all future Wes Andersons. One of the standout events this summer is the <a href="https://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/event/fantastic-family-animation-day-make-a-fox-film/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fantastic Family Animation Day</a>, where budding filmmakers create their own stop-motion movie inspired by <em>Fantastic Mr Fox</em>. Families make characters, build miniature sets and learn professional animation techniques before taking home their finished film. Even cooler? You&#8217;ll get to see an original set from the 2009 film up close. Taking place on <strong>Tue 11 Aug</strong>, this special event is aimed at children aged 8-12. Tickets are £65 per child, with one accompanying adult free (one adult required per two children).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-follow-in-dahl-s-footsteps">Follow in Dahl&#8217;s footsteps</h2>



<p>This isn&#8217;t just another woodland walk. Led by acclaimed local poet Will Burns on <strong>Thu 27 Aug</strong>, families head into the very Buckinghamshire countryside that inspired Roald Dahl himself. Along the way you&#8217;ll play nature games, tackle creative challenges and gather ideas before turning everything you&#8217;ve discovered into your own family poem. It&#8217;s wholesome without being worthy, creative without feeling like homework, and you&#8217;ll leave with something rather more memorable than another soft toy from the gift shop.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-step-inside-where-the-magic-happened">Step inside where the magic happened</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1830" height="1220" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum245.jpg" alt="ROALD DAHL MUSEUM GREAT MISSENDEN" class="wp-image-205992" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum245.jpg 1830w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum245-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum245-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum245-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum245-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1830px) 100vw, 1830px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Roald-Dahl-Museum245.jpg</figcaption></figure>



<p>Summer events are brilliant, but here&#8217;s the museum&#8217;s ace card. Roald Dahl&#8217;s famous Writing Hut has been painstakingly recreated using the original contents from the shed where he wrote many of his best-loved stories. His battered armchair, writing board and wonderfully odd collection of treasured objects are all exactly where they should be. It&#8217;s oddly moving standing in the tiny space where some of the world&#8217;s most-loved children&#8217;s books first came to life.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cubs-and-send-families-are-brilliantly-looked-after">Cubs (and SEND families) are brilliantly looked after</h2>



<p>Travelling with little ones? They&#8217;ve thought of that too. <a href="https://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/event/titchy-fox-cubs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Titchy Fox Cubs</a> sessions (ages 6mths – 4yrs) combine songs, sensory play, stories and crafts inspired by <em>Fantastic Mr Fox</em> for just £5 a child — one of the best-value activities of the summer. The museum is also running two SEND Explore Your Way Days (<strong>Mon 3 and Mon 24 Aug</strong>), offering quieter sessions with reduced visitor numbers and a calmer atmosphere, making the museum accessible for even more families.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fuel-up-like-fantastic-mr-fox">Fuel up like Fantastic Mr Fox</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1830" height="1220" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum205.jpg" alt="Child eating giant chocolate bar at Roald Dahl museum" class="wp-image-205989" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum205.jpg 1830w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum205-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum205-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum205-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/Roald-Dahl-Museum205-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1830px) 100vw, 1830px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Foxy fun at the Roald Dahl Museum this summer. </figcaption></figure>



<p>Let&#8217;s face it – all that adventuring works up an appetite. <a href="https://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/plan-your-visit/food-and-facilities/the-filling-station/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Filling-Station</a> kiosk serves Dahl-inspired treats including Bogtrotter Brownies and Beauregarde Blueberry Crumble, alongside locally sourced savoury snacks, excellent coffee (parents, we see you) and proper cups of tea.</p>



<p>There&#8217;s also a free water refill station in the courtyard for those endless &#8220;I&#8217;m thirsty&#8221; moments. And if you&#8217;re making a full day of it – which we&#8217;d recommend – Great Missenden&#8217;s lovely High Street is packed with independent cafés, delis and family-friendly pubs for lunch before heading home.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-need-to-know">Need to know</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Fantastic Foxy Summer</a> at the Roald Dahl Museum &amp; Story Centre takes place from T<strong>ue 21 July to Wed 2 Sep</strong> between 10am and 4.30pm. Online pre-booked tickets are £13.95 for adults, £9.95 for kids and concessions while under 5s and registered carers go free. There&#8217;s a small additional charge for walks and workshops. Pre-booking is advised for the school holidays and pre-booking workshops is a must – they sell out fast.</p>



<p>Roald Dahl Museum &amp; Story Centre,  81-83 High Street, Great Missenden, Bucks, HP16 0AL. Tel: 01494 892192</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-the-mood-for-more">IN THE MOOD FOR MORE?</h2>



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