Life’s One Big Adventure

If, in this mass wave of financial uncertainty, predictions are correct, many British families will stay on home soil this year, as high transport costs and the weak pound persuade people to put their passports away.

Yet, foregoing a family holiday is too much for most people to contemplate, so many will search for a cheaper alternative by holidaying in good old Britain. If strolling along a seaside pier, nipping into amusement arcades to avoid the rain showers fills you with dread, it’s worth considering the different options to the classic bucket and spade holiday.  It’s not so hard to embrace the British weather, pack plenty of waterproofs and seek a new style of holiday. Activity, nature and adventure can easily be reached. It may be time to take in some of the truly stunning destinations in this country.  

A perfect way to be in harmony with nature is to camp out under the stars, where life suddenly starts to slow down. As you snuggle under a woollen blanket, huddle around a campfire and sip away at your hot chocolate, it won’t be long before you are reminded of nature’s best – the sounds of the wind blowing in the trees, the smoky smells of campfires, the sky brightly illuminated by stars.  It’s a fantastic way to get away from it all, plus it is one of the cheapest forms of accommodation around: perfect for cash-strapped families.      

For children, camping is a wonderful adventure. It can give them that sense of freedom they crave.  To plan a successful camping trip, it’s worth getting the children involved from the very start.  They could help by providing a realistic wish list of what facilities they would like, or even help you choose a suitable campsite.  The more involved they are in the decision-making process, the more excited they will get.  To fully prepare them for the impending camping adventure, it may be worth pitching the tent in the back garden so that they can fully test out the overnight outdoor experience with the luxuries of home nearby.  This should give them a welcoming taste of what lies ahead.

Take your pick from one of a huge number of campsites dotted around the country. They come in all shapes and sizes. Many larger sites contain an extensive range of facilities that will keep a family happily entertained for a week. Smaller sites, often not much more than an open field and a fairly primitive shower block, will still appeal to a child who will relish the freedom to play in the open air. 

Start as you mean to go on. Encourage your children to take part in setting up the tent.  For example, they could count the tent pegs or hold the guy-ropes for you. Next they could help with collecting water or firewood and even lend a hand with the outdoor cooking, especially if it means toasting marshmallows over a fire!  As the natural light fades, let them stay up a bit later than usual to let them look at the constellations in the sky, listen to the night sounds or maybe go for an exciting walk by torchlight. Memories like this will last forever.

The great thing is this: the adventure doesn’t have to stop with the camping.  Again, a fantastic and affordable way to spend the time is to go hiking with the children.  This will provide a healthy challenge to any youngster and may well create a blueprint for loving the fresh air and outdoor lifestyle later in life. 

The trick to a successful hiking trip with a child is to make it manageable, interesting and fun. Know your children's limitations.  How far can they walk comfortably? A walk that is too long will be tough on little legs and may put them off.  Plan a route that brings in areas of interest – such as viewpoints to spot birds, animals and types of flowers, scattered rocks to clamber over, streams and rivers to paddle in, or insects to find under fallen logs.  Children love getting back to nature. If a hike on open moorland is out of the question, then a small trip to a local park or beach can equally bring its own sense of adventure to a young imaginative mind.  If you are extremely organised, you could arrange a nature treasure hunt, where you create a worksheet with animals, bugs and plants to spot on your travels.

An adventurous holiday will build in our children a solid love of the outdoors. And whilst they are in the open air they can savour the enormous sense of freedom, the exciting challenges and those memories they will cherish forever.

By Kirsty Woodgate