it is safe to say that 2020 has been a very strange year. Many of us have had cancelled foreign holidays cancelled or moved to next year and so might be looking to have a break in the UK. I am not a fan of the word staycation, but it does seem quite apt doesn’t it? We should have been heading off to France this week for another week of learning how make curry with Dan Tombs but it has had to be cancelled sadly, and we have yet to see what happens with our week in Morocco in September. With 25 days of annual leave to use though, Mr B is keen to make the most of his week off still and so is looking at things we might do in the UK now that we are permitted to travel a little more freely. And to do things we might not do normally, such as grabbing our cameras and heading to London.
So here are my top five outdoor adventures to have in the UK this summer
Learn to paddle board
Stand up paddle boarding seems to have really taken off in recent years and it is possible to do it on a huge number of stretches of water meaning you dont have to travel too far to try it. You can do it inland on rivers and canals close to home before investing in equipment and venturing further afield and trying it on holiday. I must admit I do love the idea of being able to to have an outdoor adventures on my doorstep (our local club is two miles away) so I can do it regularly. If you want to do it somewhere more picturesque than your local lake then Wanderlust Magazine published an article on the most spectacular places to go in the UK to go.
Kite-Buggying
Combining the skills of kite-flying and go-karting, kite-buggying is a thrilling way to spend a day at the beach, zipping across the sand at up to 50mph in a low three-wheeler. This is something I have watched from afar and with overseas adventures being off the agenda for the foreseeable future this would be a fabulous way to spend a few hours.
Ride up a mountain
Walking up mountains and hills is not really my idea of fun, I will be honest. It feels like a lot of hard work, though I do appreciate that the views are worth it, but the return is always fun (maybe it is my years of being a skier that makes me prefer the downhill). We have been exploring the idea of grabbing our cameras and maybe getting some Mountain Trikes from Jorvik! so we can do the hills without the hard work.
Camp under the stars
This is something I have yet to do but it is definitely on my bucket list. I got very close to it when I had a trip around California as a teen but we slept in our car because we couldn’t afford a motel which wasn’t quite the same. There is something about finding a gorgeous spot, away from a conventional campsite with all the amenities, and pitching a small tent. Maybe in the woods, on the beach or near a lake in Scotland (obviously observing laws and guidelines) but being able to look out of the tent door and see the stars is something I would love to try just once.
If you are feeling very brave you could even camp up a cliff in Cumbria. You couldn’t pay me to do it but if this is your kind of thing you can abseil down a cliff, to a hammock where you spend the night and wake up to a bacon sandwich and a stunning sunrise. I can’t think of anything worse quite frankly!
Llama trekking
This is much more my idea of fun. Llama trekking and staying on a llama farm would be a great way to spend a weekend, wouldnt it? There are lots of places around the country that offer this and it is definitely on my list of things to do this summer.