It’s a new year, so time for new adventures.
Here at Country Bumpkin Yurts, we love to champion the outdoors so have planned to try new ways to enjoy nature. We find that nature is the ultimate pick-me-up. Immersing ourselves in nature is both stimulating and deeply relaxing. This year, why not try to boost your time spent outdoors too. To help us with this, we have come up with 10 creative ways to enjoy nature and the outdoors; from glamping with a hot tub to recycling.
Eat alfresco.
Eat outside. Start the day with your coffee in the garden. The fresh air and the morning sun (or at least the light through the clouds) will wake you up and help to put you in a good mood. Even if it’s cold, throw on a coat and take a blanket out with you. When the evenings start to get longer, dress up your patio table and eat your family dinner outdoors. It can be fun to reinvent the dinner routine. We plan to build an upcycled outdoor kitchen by the yurts this year which will be fun for our guests. An outdoor pizza oven would be great, wouldn’t it?
Nature photography.
Capturing what we see when exploring is a great way of appreciating the wonders of nature. Having a look at other people’s nature photography is also really inspiring. I will be starting a nature photo-a-day challenge. Every day, I will take a photo of something I have seen or encountered outdoors and will post it on social media. Why not join me? Try 100 days of nature photos.
Go on a nature hunt.
Head out into the field and see how many different birds, bugs and little beasts you can find. You’ll be amazed at how much you see when you really look. Or for something a bit funkier, a fungi hunt. This can be a lovely activity to do as a family. There are plenty of downloadable tick lists for nature hunts online. These are some of our favourites.
Explore the dark.
The dark is full of wonders! Either go outside at night or find a dark place during the day. At night, you can star-gaze. The light pollution in cities makes this difficult to do but if you take yourself out of the town or city, you will see the sky like you have never seen it before. In the dark, it is also fun to soak up the silence. There is something loud and almost tangible about the silence when out in the countryside in the dark. During the day, you could explore the Great Oxendon tunnels along the Brampton Valley Way – these are pitch black and have a marvelous echo.
Visit a local park or National Trust venue.
Many of us have great parks on our doorstep which we rarely make the most of. Do an online search for places near you, you’ll no doubt find loads. One of the great things about the UK is that there are so many beautiful green places to visit. Lara and I plan to make the most of Pitsford Water this year. It’s about 20 minutes from where we are and has a path suitable for a pram. It is the best of both wildness and expanse for the dogs, and easy walking for Lara with baby bumpkin.
Glamping.
We may be a little bias here, but glamping is an amazing way to get back to nature and spend more time outdoors. With our yurts, you can hear nature through the canvas. You can see the stars through the roof crown. And you can feel good about our eco-friendly power and composting loos.
Outdoor hot tub.
At Country Bumpkin Yurts you can experience a touch of luxury in the great outdoors. Our eco-friendly, wood burning is well worth a go. It’s a hands-on experience; you’ll need to build a big fire and keep it going for about 3 hours. It’s worth the effort when you’re sitting in beautifully hot water with a glass of bubbly and looking up at the stars. Glamping with a hot tub is a creative nature must.
Campfires.
This doesn’t take much explaining – everyone loves a campfire. Hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows are a winning combination. With blankets and wellies, you can do it any time of the year.
Outdoor yoga.
For those of you that like your yoga, taking your mat outside and doing your salutations in the garden is wonderfully refreshing. This year, there will be yoga retreats happening at our glamping site. Get in touch if you are interested in a weekend of nature and nurture.
Recycle.
Ok, so this may not be a way of enjoying nature; but it is a way of appreciating it. This year, how about starting a compost project in your garden or do an upcycle build. We love a good upcycle project. Have a look on Pinterest (our favourite), you can use almost everything to create anything. Giving new life of old or used items is a great way of reducing waste. It also gives a welcome sense of achievement. We’d love to hear about any projects you do this year.
So, there it is – 10 creative ways to enjoy nature in 2018. From glamping with a hot tub to simply having your morning coffee outside. There are so many ways, big and small to appreciate the beauty and wonder of the Great Outdoors. If you are interested in booking a glamping break, spending a yurty yoga weekend with us, or sharing your nature photography, we would love to hear from you. Using social media is a great way to keep in touch. We are on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
For bookings, click here to view our availability calendar.
We’re looking forward to a year of outdoor joy, and we hope you will enjoy it with us.
From the Country Bumpkin Team
