Activity

30 Days Wild Day 29: A run in the countryside

30 Days Wild Day 28: WoWo Camping

30 Days Wild Day 5: Exploring Headley Heath in Surrey

30 Days Wild with the Wildlife Trusts

The best walks in London

Wild and remote places in the UK to explore with and without your family

Get outside: How I ran a marathon after having a baby

Travel plans for 2019

Adventure ideas from all around the world

Fun things to do in Northumberland with kids

Ideas for my 30 Days Wild challenge

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Find inspiration for all the activities you can do as a family.

We’re staying at WoWo Campsite this weekend and I’ve managed to escape for a hour to go for a run in the countryside by myself. I love running but have not been for ages, and once you get out of the habit it can be quite hard to get back into it. Having a new place to run in always motivates me to want to tie up my running shoelaces and get out there, and with the weather being so perfect right now I set out to explore the fields and lanes around the campsite.

I’m sure there are hundreds of walks around the region. Sussex and the South Downs looks so pretty. I don’t know it well at all, The North Downs are much nearer to me. WoWo does have a list of walks available but I just took the nearest footpath and my phone for orientation and set off.

I had to scramble over an electric fence (wasn’t going to test if it was on or not!) and jog through some fields of sheep including some very curious black lambs who came to say hello to me. Through a small piece of woodland and up a track to a country lane before curving back round up and around onto another footpath back to the campsite.

Running obviously helps with physical fitness but it’s the mental aspect that really helps me. Running in the countryside must give you a double whammy then, as you get the benefits of being outdoors as well as the endorphins from the run itself.

June 30, 2019 1 comment

Activity Adventure Camping Sussex

Wow to WoWo Camping, a family-friendly camping set up on a farm in the heart of Sussex. It’s the stuff of dreams. A little bit hippy but not too much, with a shop selling organic produce, wellbeing tents with massage and reflexology, chai and waffle van every Saturday and Sunday morning and loads of classes to try like bushcraft and bug hunts for kids. It’s really rather cool.

The best bit though about WoWo is the location. Fields are flat meadows, with firepits for proper fires, toilets and showers with running water, big teepees for sing songs and small pockets of woodland with streams, bridges and swings for kids to generally muck about in and be kids, free from the watchful eye of mum and dad. It’s like a mini natural adventure playground. There’s no ‘normal’ playground here, loud music is not allowed. It’s proper swallows and amazons type fun. And all the better for it.

We just relaxed all the rules and let the kids stay up till late (not that they slept in any later) and we found it easiest to all sleep in the same bit together, four in a bed. If you don’t want to camp there are also a selection of yurts and shepherd’s huts, but be warned they are located near a very popular stream, so if you stay during holidays or over a weekend you won’t get much peace and quiet.

We had such a great time here. It’s a very laid back, welcoming kind of place. I booked in for a blissful hour of reflexology, went for a run, paddled in the cool streams with the boys, played rounders and generally just hung out. It’s been ages since we did this as a family. I also feel guilty if we’ve not doing something so to just do nothing and enjoy being outside in the glorious summer weather watching my kids lark about doing what kids do was a great reminder that doing nothing really needs to be done more often!

Bridge over one of the streams at WoWo

Wowo camping

June 30, 2019 2 comments

Activity Adventure Environment Explore Parks Surrey UK Walking Woodland

I have two days off work to spend time with my littlest, so we decided to try somewhere new. We drove over to Headley Heath, partly in search of butterflies, but also to just have an enjoyable walk around somewhere we’d not been to before.

Headley Heath in the North Downs region and is about 300 hectares large. It’s obviously heathland (which I love) but also there’s pockets of woodland and dry chalk grassland, plus a good viewpoint out over the Downs from one point, so very interesting to visit. There’s lots of wildlife to look out for here including butterflies, birds, insects and lizards.

The info leaflet that I picked up told me that ‘lowland heath is one of the most endangered habitats in the world, even rarer than the rainforest’, which amazed me. And how fortunate we are to live so close to this site.

Headley Heath has a useful 3km ‘lizard trail’ that is suitable for families. I’d say it’s also fine for buggies in the summer months too. It’s quite undulating in parts but definitely doable. There’s two car parks which are free for National Trust members. No cafe or facilities so bring a picnic and cross your legs.

We head off in the direction of the Belted Galloway cattle which graze on the heathland. Apparently they have a vital role in maintaining the heathland habitats. (We visited the Romney Marsh earlier in May and the sheep which are farmed down there are also vital in maintaining the landscapes and rare flora and fauna down there too).

B loved watching the cows. They are an easy win for children as easy to spot! I didn’t want to get too close though.

Having fun in our nature playground

Then we wandered through the Heath, keeping the orange trail markers in our site, though as the site is fairly small it doesn’t really matter if you veer off onto a different path, it’s tricky to get lost here.

B did better than me and found a colony (?) of ants looking busy going in and out of a small hole, plus a bright purple/red butterfly – possibly a peacock butterfly. We also both spotted a white butterfly, which I think is the most common here – the cabbage white. We’ll try butterfly spotting again soon, but here’s a useful guide to butterfly types.

We also saw a foxglove, which are common here in summer and attract the bees plus lots of gorse, and these pretty white flowers (my knowledge of flowers is quite poor I’m finding!) which were also attracting the bees.

Ants busy making a home

Headley Heath, foxglove at Headley Heath

Foxglove at Headley Heath, a food supply for bees

Headley Heath, bee on flower

We stopped at Brimmer Pond for a rest, to look out for newts and dragonflies (didn’t see any) and to listen for birds. I think we partly had trouble as my toddler is RATHER LOUD. If you take a listen to the short video you’ll understand! I tried looking up what birds were singing when we got home, using the Warbler app (£4.99) and it told me it was possibly a Great Tit, Common Blackbird or Great Spotted Wren.

Brimmer Pond at Headley Heath

Notice about the newts at Headley Heath

We also had a poke about for insects. Looking under old bits of wood is a good idea if you are searching for insects. We found a few disgruntled woodlice plus a couple of large beetles. They scuttled away before we could look any closer at them unfortunately.

Searching under logs for insects

Admittedly I did have to take B to a playground before we went to Headley Heath, but once we arrived and were exploring he really enjoyed it and didn’t want to come home, so I’m now going to describe any outing to a wilder area as a trip to the nature playground!

Headley Heath

June 6, 2019 3 comments

Activity Adventure Environment

The Wildlife Trusts holds a yearly campaign during June called 30 Days Wild, the aim being to encourage people (and their families) to get outdoors into nature for every day in June. They have a useful ‘random acts of wildness’ app you can download onto your phone, and lots of inspiration on their local websites too of things you can do and places you can go.

I’m joining in, and will be blogging for the Surrey Wildlife Trust about what we’ve been up to which I’m thrilled about. I’m admittedly a little unsure whether we’ll manage something wild each day. I barely get enough time to write this blog along with juggling children and work, but I want to give it a really good try.

I’m always planning stuff to do with the kids outdoors, and want to drag myself away from my desk and house more than I do, so this is a great opportunity to try it. I also think I could do with seeking wild experiences closer to home, and doing things with my kids that don’t take up too much time but are still very worthwhile, so I hope the 30 Days Wild challenge will help me do that as well.

I took a survey before I started the challenge to find out how connected to nature I was. The results told me I was 60% wild, which wasn’t too shabby, but probably could be improved upon. I’ll take the survey again at the end of 30 Days Wild.

It’s been really good fun looking at things I could do with the kids to get outdoors more and explore the natural world on our doorstep. Some things are more exciting for me (a visit to a wild island) and others probably more exciting for my kids (making an elf castle or home for a hedgehog). I’ve also made sure I’ve included many activities that can be done in the garden in half an hour as well as activities that are outside of our back yard and that take longer.

Getting creative outdoors

Making nature prints with clay

Photographing wildlife

Making nature creatures

Stone building

Making a bow and arrow out of sticks

Making animals out of sticks and clay

Creating an elf castle in the woods

Collecting shells and making wind chimes

Painting with nature

Drawing with shadows

Leaf threading to make a crown

Making wild art on the ground

Bark rubbing on trees

Water painting

Mud and feather writing

Making a nature colour wheel

Writing my name with natural objects

Creating a nature sensory bin

Wildlife watching

Bird spotting and listening to birdsong using an app and book to help

Building an insect house

Building a bee water station

Monitoring the number and types of bees in the garden

Going on a minibeast hunt

Creating a butterfly table

Going butterfly spotting on Box Hill, Headley Heath or Bookham Common

Going crabbing and rock pooling in Suffolk

Making a pitfall trap

Making a DIY bird feeder

Making a hedgehog home

Having a snail hunt after the rain

Wildlife watching in the garden

Making a wormery

Going dragonfly spotting on Thursley Common

Looking for reptiles in Colley Hill, Reigate

Places to visit

Visit the British Wildlife Centre in Lingfield

Visit a Wildlife Trusts site such as Staffhurst Woods, Hill Park or Nutfield Marshes

Spot birds and go for a river walk at Blythburgh, Suffolk

Visit a natural playground at Emmetts Garden or Box Hill

Go on an island escape to Crane Park Island

Stuff with plants

Identifying flowers

Planting wildflower seeds in the garden

Climbing a tree

Watering a tree

Activities to try out

Beachcombing for treasure

Forest School for preschoolers

River paddling and raft building

Going on a scavenger hunt

Geocaching

Watching clouds and identifying them with a book and app

Den building

Reading books about nature outdoors

Barefoot walking

Climbing a big hill and rolling down it

Celebrating the summer solstice on June 21

30 days wild

June 3, 2019 4 comments

Activity Adventure London Nature UK Walking Woodland

Ditch all those thoughts of London being polluted and overcrowded. Our capital has some beautiful places to walk in. Did you know London is one of the greenest cities on earth? And that we’re going to become a National Park City in July? Here’s some of the best walks in London you can have. Some of these walks in London are well-known, and with good reason – they are beautiful; others are under the radar, more peaceful and just as picturesque. I’ve noted where you can get the essentials – coffee and cake – as well as where the nearest toilets and playgrounds are, so all these walks should be pretty family-friendly walks in London too. Settle in with a cup of tea – this is a long post. Told you London was green.

February 10, 2019 5 comments

Activity Adventure Climbing Environment Travel UK Walking

When I was thinking about adventure ideas and cool adventurous things parents could do, the one thing that kept coming back to me was how we really don’t need to travel far to experience adventure. The UK has so many dramatic to explore. This is good news for families, who generally don’t have the time or ability to disappear for months on end in the wilderness.

January 4, 2019 1 comment

Activity Adventure Age ranges Going solo Running

I wasn’t really sure whether to post this one about running a marathon after baby comes along. It sounds a bit humblebraggy, though I don’t want it to read that way. Basically I want to share why I pushed myself to do it, and how I did it, should there be anyone else out there who also wants to set themselves a challenge post parenthood. I also wanted to blog a bit more about actual outdoor activities as well as travel as adventure comes in many forms.

December 20, 2018 0 comment

Activity Adventure Camping Jordan Overseas Seasons Spring Travel

Travel planning is one of my favourite things to do in the evening (other than watching The Mummy Diaries. I know. Kill me). Allllll the anticipation of looking at the best countries to visit when, top hotels, adventurous spots, looking for bargainous flights – the works. Many an hour has been lost to it. I have so many family travel ideas in my head, so I thought I’d write it all down.

December 3, 2018 1 comment

Activity Adventure Age ranges Camping Cycling Going solo Running Travel Walking

As well as travel planning, my other top thing to do is thinking up cool responsible adventure ideas that I could attempt one day when the kids are older and don’t need me as much. These are a little more deering-do than those on my family adventure ideas list. I’m not sure where this love of adventure came from really. My mother despairs.

November 30, 2018 3 comments

Activity Adventure Beach Environment Explore Mountains National Trust Northumberland UK Walking Woodland

31 N/A: Halloween October 31, 2019N/A

We spent the week of October half term in Northumberland. I’ve always wanted to visit this stunning part of the country. I had visions of windswept moors, deserted beaches and castles at every turn, and it didn’t disappoint. We visited as a family of three generations so it was important we did things that catered for all ages. Here’s a round-up of fun things to do in Northumberland with kids.

November 26, 2018 1 comment