New Years Resolutions - getting out and about

A Very Wet Day!

One of our New Year resolutions this year is to spend more time outside. Not just in the garden which we love but more nights away under canvas, more long walks across the gorgeous countryside, more days spent down at the sea. We both come from childhoods where we rarely spent time inside or in front of the tv and want our children to have a similar life. We’re lucky enough that the school helps with such things as Forest School but it seems barmy to live on the edge of the Downs (2 min walk down the hill to reach them) and not explore them.

We want to learn foraging, teach the boys how to cook and boil a kettle safely in the outdoors. We want introduce them to the views which you cannot get from a car or a computer. Most of this is free so a huge bonus but there’s a couple of things we need. The boys grow out of their walking boots it feels like twice a year. Plus there is the odd things for camping we need to repurchase. Off course the voucher sites for backpacking and camping help out considerably here. I will feature later on this month some of the amazing things which help you enjoy the outdoors – I cannot wait to introduce you to “fire in a tin”.

I suspect some of you are shouting how lovely it would be but just remember the weather and the country we live in! Well yes but there are some great ways to get outdoors regardless of the weather.

First - when getting out and about do do do make sure you dress correctly. There is nothing worse than being down at an empty sandy beach only to find your waterproof has caused you to sweat so much you’re as damp inside as you would have been without. Or that your top half is frozen while the bottom half boils! A little tip here is to check out ebay for ski pants. The boys live in theirs through winter. We have been in the sea, waded through mud and climbed hills in them and the boys are warm and dry regardless.

Second – snacks! Fill a flask up with a drink or soup you all enjoy. After an hour exploring wet forests and climbing trees or investigating rock pools there’s nothing better than to open up a warm flask while you enjoy the rain pattering on the car roof.

Third – be prepared. Have in your boot some tracksuit bottoms and dry socks and shoes. You never know when you’re out on an adventure what might happen next! We have rock pooled in torrential rain and then the sun came out and we headed for ice creams. So many times we have had the beach to ourselves in January – absolutely beautiful and so much fun!