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Awesome Autumn is upon us
Autumn is well and truly here, and half term is fast approaching. Although the weather isn’t as conducive to adventures as the summer months, the Autumn colours are well worth making the effort to get out for. There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!
Beaches are wilder and more dramatic (as well as quieter!) and campsites are quieter and more affordable as the off-peak tarrifs kick in. We’ve rounded up a few ideas of Autumn adventures for you to make the most of your free time this season.
1: Follow a Leaf Peeping Trail
The Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley have launched the UK’s first Leaf Peeping Trail this Autumn. With 50 miles of stunning scenery and colour, there’s plenty to do along the way, from canoeing the River Wye to clambering up Symonds Yat to admire the view. There are some great campsites in the vicinity if you want to make a weekend (or a week) of it, such as Whitemead Forest Park for a larger site with more facilities, or the stunning simplicity of Beeches Farm campsite for sweeping sunset views across the valley.
2: Go Stargazing
With the earlier evenings, even the youngest member of the family can enjoy some stargazing. It’s Space Week at the moment, what a great opportunity to get out there and spot some constellations with the family. The UK is full of ‘dark sky’ spots – places with little or no artificial lighting – where you can head out and enjoy the wonders of the galaxy. It’s also Hunter’s Moon on October 13th, the full moon for the month – the ideal time to get out and enjoy a celestial celebration.
Combine your stargazing with a campfire (as long as they are allowed where you are, of course) and some marshmallow toasting, and you’ve got the perfect autumn activity to remember for years to come.
3: Go Apple Picking (and pressing!)
It’s the season of plenty – plenty of apples! Many National Trust properties have pick your own events in their apple orchards, such as Brockhampton in Herefordshire. You can also find information on apple pressing days all over the country, where you can take along your bounty and join in a community apple pressing event, saving the juice to drink as it is – or make your own cider of course!
4: Beachcombing/rockpooling
Clean, warm sandy beaches are great – but for me, you can’t beat a wild, high full moon Autumn tide complete with whirling seagulls, crashing waves, and the fascinating detritus that gets left behind. Driftwood, seed pods from lands far far away, mermaid’s purses, the treasure found upon a remote beach is far more interesting in Autumn than summer. See which of these treasures you can find on your adventures. Take a pair of gloves and a bin bag with you and do your own mini beach-clean as you go.
Some of our favourite beaches:
Rhossili Bay in Wales
Warbeth Bay in Orkney
Brancaster in Norfolk
Marloe Sands in Wales
Robin Hoods Bay, Yorkshire
5: Visit an Arboretum
With over 60,000 species of tree across the globe, and 32 native British species, we owe it to the world of arboriculture to get out and appreciate these incredible, beautiful, oxygen-producers. An Arboretum or a woodland is an ideal way to visit and appreciate a wide variety of trees from our native species to thousands of introduced varieties as well. Autumn is when an arboretum really comes into its own as the colours change and leaves, seeds and nuts all fall, giving a blanket of beautiful seasonal goodness. Support the development of Arboretums and woodland with your entry fee, car parking fee, National Trust membership, or donations to the Woodland Trust, and make sure the trees will be there for many generations to come. Check out some of the UK’s most beautiful arboretums here.
