Pick a crisp winter’s day, wrap everyone up warm and explore our ideas for family walks.
1. Stately Homes and their grounds.
English Heritage runs more than 400 historical sites such as Audley End House in Essex. Explore the grounds of this grand building where you can see how the house functioned during the Victorian era, including their recently restored fire engine and stables complete with groom and horses Duke and Jake. Before Christmas, you could take a ride on the nearby miniature railway to visit Santa in his woodland grotto.
2. National Trust properties.
Founded in 1895, the National Trust is responsible for houses, gardens, monuments, beaches and even whole villages. This year they formed a Kids’ Council to advise the Trust on ways to better engage children with nature and the outdoors. Wimpole Home Farm in Cambridgeshire; Lydford Gorge, Devon and Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire are just some of their sites recommended as being particularly ideal for families.
3. Local parks.
You needn’t look too far to find an engaging winter walk; take your children to visit the places they play during summer months and see how they change with the seasons. Have fun simply crunching over frosted grass, seeing whose breath makes the biggest cloud and looking for robins and other winter wildlife.
4. Kew Gardens.
Between December 10 and January 2 the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew will host a number of winter activities such as a guided tour and self-guided trail giving you and your family a chance to see some of the staff and volunteers’ favourite plants and scenic spots, perfect for budding botanists!
Most of the activities are free once inside the gardens, children up to the age of 16 can enter without charge.
5. Woods and forests
A walk through an icy forest could make fans of C.S Lewis feel they have been transported to Narnia; what could be more magical than ‘discovering’ a trail and following its path between the trees?
The Forestry Commission maintain wooded areas throughout Britain; use their website to find a site near you. The website also provides details of their Christmas events in Scotland.
Visit the ‘Electric Forest’ a light art installation at Thetford Forest in Norfolk that will make a dynamic evening walk for families including children aged five and over, and the ‘Reindeer Trail’ at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum; a self-guided walk to help Father Christmas find his missing sleigh-pullers which is aimed at children from the age of three.
The ideal companion for any walk of course is a dog; most parks and outdoor attractions will welcome your four-legged friend as long as they are kept on a lead but many houses will ask that you don’t bring them along, check the rules of your chosen destination before you set out.
We hope that these suggestions inspire you, use the links provided to find venues in your area or uncover a new favourite walk.
