10 things to do on this years UK Sustainable Staycation.
Oh July. The summer holidays are so close I can smell them. As my partner is a teacher and has the summer holidays off I look forward to them every year. I of course usually have to still work but I don’t mind. In my head I’m off too. I pack my swim wear in my work bag in case of an early finish, heading straight to the beach afterward. I open an ice cold beer as soon as I walk through the front door, Mat cooks BBQ’s most nights of the week and every evening it’s warm enough we sit in the garden until late. I call this a Fakecation. Unlike a staycation, when you have time off work, doing nice things at home or travelling to somewhere in the UK, a Fakecation is when your still at work but your mind is on holiday. Everything feels a little lighter, I forget to wear make up (yes to summer skin) and other than when at work Birkenstocks never leave my feet (yep, even on rainy days).
We do of course still love a summer holiday away, I have to admit I’m craving jumping on a plane, something we haven’t managed to do as much as we would like over the last few years. A broken leg, buying a new house, a baby, maternity leave all kind of got in the way. And now of course Corona Virus has taken away not just our plans but many of yours too.
But don’t worry, I do believe Mat and I are pretty good Staycationers/fakecationers. We live our lives on the beach, Mat is also a lifeguard at our local beach during the holidays, his family own a beach hut there, we spend a lot of time in and on the water. We love nothing more than throwing everything in the back of the van and heading off on local adventures. I would like therefore to part some of our favourite things to do with you in the hope that this years staycation, chosen or not, is a great one for you.
10 things to do on this year uk staycation.
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1.Zero Waste Beach Days.
Nothing could be easier or more enjoyable than a day at the beach. Whether there’s a beach on your doorstep or you really need to make a day of it and include a road trip, it the best free fun you could have in my opinion (give or take a parking meter or two, maybe even a round of ice creams.)
My best tip for the ultimate zero waste day at the beach is to be prepared. There is nothing worse than hearing your tummy rumble or even worse if your have kids in tow hearing them asking for things ALL day. I go to the beach with lunch, drinks, and as many snacks as I can fit in the bag. A whole cut up watermelon is a current favourite for snacking on all day. If its in the cool bag and stays cold it holds off the ice cream question for quiet some time.
Don’t forget your refillable water bottles (most beaches have refill stations now), flask of coffee or reusable cup to get a cappuccino, bucket and spade for hours of entertained kids, and cheese sandwiches (because they taste best with sand on).
Get out on the water.
While your at the beach, or lake/river, try and get out on the water. Especially if it’s not usually your thing. The amount of people that say to me “oh I would do it on holiday abroad, but not in this country” astounds me. Nothing makes you feel more like your on holiday than being on the water. We love to swim but also own a paddle board. If you don’t have anything like don’t worry, search were you can hire a stand up paddle board (SUP) or a kayak near you. You will be amazed how much you enjoy it. It’s usually a cheap thing to do. If those two are too much for you even a row boat, pedalo, or a boat trip. There something about the water that blow away any cob webs and gives you that summer holiday feeling. Or maybe that’s just me….
A couple of days Camping in the uk.
I’ll admit that I not sure I could do weeks of camping like we did as kids but a few days is enough for blissful little break, weather dependant of course. Which is why we like to relatively local when camping. Our favourite spot at The Witterings is only and hour and a half away. That means when we have a free weekend or couple of days we quickly throw everything in the van to enjoy sunny camping. If it rains we simply come home. You don’t even have to go that far, we have often camped in beautiful spot 20 mins from our doorstep. It doesn’t matter if how far you go as long as there’s a nice view, cold drinks, a fire and the kids can run free.
Just like the beach being prepare make this a zero waste and cheap holiday. I wrote about exactly how to do that last summer in “Low Waste Camping with Kids.”
Dust off the old bike and discover your local area.
Lock down saw many of us have time to dust off those old bikes and get out on the road. I used to cycle everywhere but stopped when I got pregnant (we live at the top of a hill). When I went back to work I was either dropping Reeva off across town or desperate to get back to her so my beloved bike Betty stayed in the cellar. Until lockdown I finally built up the courage to get a toddler seat on the back. BEST THING EVER. She loves it, I love it, it’s keeping me fit, we have been out on some family bike ride which the boys love. They love riding on the road all together. I can’t wait until the school holiday when Mat’s off and we can do this more, at the moment their with us week days mainly and I prefer to have Mat with us cycling us on the road. Me at the front, him at the back making sure everyone is present and correct. There’s also a lot of local cycle tracks we’d like to explore.
Make your back garden a relaxing place to spend this summer.
If you have one make your garden a nice place to be. That could involve buying a few plants, making an entire veg patch or simply giving it a sweep and setting up a little seating area. Whatever you do we are going to be spending more time in our gardens this summer than ever before, make it a pleasent place to be, set up a fire pit, sit out in the evening. This is what long English Summer days are for, make the most of them.
Have a back garden festival.
Now you’ve made you garden a nice place to be, why not move the festivals that can’t happen this summer into your back garden. Invite how friends over to have a socially distanced festival. If your looking for inspiration Spencers Arc has you covered with everything from decorations to music.
a English staycation Visiting Lavender Fields.
I love a good day out especially if it involves flowers. Why not take a little drive and feel like your walking the fields of Provence for the day by visiting some English Lavender Fields. Find the nearest to you here.
Uk Sunflower Fields.
Another favourite that takes me straight back to childhood camping trips in France is a trip to sunflower fields. Don’t forget to stop at the side of the road and buy some English cherries en route. Because cherries also remind me of summers in the south of France as a kid. Did you know there are whole festivals dedicated to cherries there? I know heaven right? Have a little piece of it here this staycation by eating all the side of the road cherries and feeling sick from them by the time you get to the sunflowers fields.
Make the most of our National Trust Sites.
Another road trip to make as an accuse to buy cherries is to the many National Trust sites near you.
Bbq as much as possible and eat outside.
Nothing say holiday more than dining al fresco. Cook BBQ’s, make fancy salads, put fruit in your drinks and eat your dinner outside. While your at it breakfast and lunch should be had outside too.
Make sure the drinks are ice cold and the food is seasonal, nothing will have you feeling more summery and in the fakecation/staycation mood more.
And enjoy your summers at home.
Hannah xx
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