Going Green: Make the most of your summer staycation

This is a great question and one a lot of people will want to know the answer to. We have some amazing countryside in the UK. We have over 140,000 miles of public footpaths in the UK, over 11,000 miles of coastline and over 2,000 miles of canals and rivers.

That’s a lot of exploring that can be done without costing a penny. There are amazing apps like the Ordanance Survey app which will help you map walks and see what’s in your local area and you can also search: The Ramblers to find walks local to you.

If you’re taking kids with you, write them a scavenger list before you set out, things like sheep, cows, flowers, stones and shells can all go on the list for them to tick off as they see them. Scavenger lists are a great way to get little legs out and about with a distraction so they won’t realise how far they’re walking.

It’s worth looking at your local bus routes too as you’ll be surprised at how far a field you can go for a pound or two. Lots of coastal areas have coastal routes that’ll take you between beaches or along really scenic routes.

Sustrans a walking and wheeling charity has every cycle network in the UK on it too so there are miles of safe cycling you can access too. If you don’t own your own bike you can borrow one from friends or there are lots of places to hire one for the day including electric bikes, which help to explore further.

Wild swimming has grown massively in popularity in the last few years and it can be done in rivers and on coasts across the UK. If you’ve never done it before it’s definitely worth giving it a go as splashing around brings much joy but it’s also important to be safe.

Firstly check water quality of where you’re intending to swim using the Environment Agency website . Once you know your water is safe, start slowly, don’t spend too long in the water, at this time of year the water is still on the cold side and if you’re not a competent swimmer don’t go out of your depth. You can google tide times – lots of wild swimmers only swim on incoming tides to make sure they don’t get pulled out with an outgoing tide. If you’re going swimming alone, make sure you’ve told friends or family where you’re swimming. Tow floats are a great idea to help keep you safe and visible too, prices start around £10 so they’re well worth the investment.

So whether it’s land or sea and on feet or on wheels, there are so many ways to enjoy the British countryside as the sun starts to shine to make the most of your staycation plans.