things to do - Goodtrippers

Come rain or shine, don’t spend the May Day bank holiday catching up on boxsets or doing DIY. We’ve found five intriguing things to do over the long weekend…

Learn how to forage

Our woods, fields and hedgerows are a full-on tasting menu ready to be eaten! This one-day foraging course in Denbighshire, North Wales (plenty of others around the UK too) is run by professional foragers who will help you identify wild food including plants and fungi that you can (and can’t) eat, where to find tasty morsels in surprising places, prepping your finds and cooking up some inventive dishes. Fish and game preparation is also covered, with an alternative option for vegetarians/vegans.

When: Saturday 2nd May 2015

Cost: £60 per person

Booking/info: Visit www.originaloutdoors.co.uk/foraging-course-north-wales

Watch an archeological dig

At Birdling Gap and the Seven Sisters near Eastbourne, East Sussex, archeologists are exploring the site of the Crowlink coastguard station, established in the nineteenth century. The area was a favourite with smugglers and this dig is attempting to determine how the site was previously used. It’s a National Trust site so visitors (including dogs on leads and children) are welcome to come down for free and take a look.

When: 2-4pm 2nd, 3rd, 4th May 2015

Booking/info: No booking required but visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/whats-on/find-an-event (search for Crowlink Coastguard Cottages) for more info.

Join the Canalway Cavalcade in Little Venice

Little Venice in London will be awash with bunting and boats this bank holiday for the annual Canalway Cavalcade organised by the Inland Waterways Association. Enjoy the festival’s spectacle of pretty narrowboats along the canal, plus the real ale bar, morris dancing (it is May Day afterall!), little shops and tasty food stalls. We also love the sound of the illuminated night-time boat procession from 9.30pm to 10pm. The event is totally free.

When: 2nd – 4th May 2015

Booking/info: No booking required but visit the festival website for full details or follow on Twitter and Instagram @canalcavalcade

Improve your photography skills

This one-day workshop on Landscape and Wildlife Photography is ideal for beginners and those looking to improve their basic skills. Run by expert Mike Allen of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, the course will take you through the technical aspects of your camera, through to composition and editing. You’ll be out and about doing practical work and enjoying the beautiful Twyford water meadows.

When: 10am – 2pm, Saturday 2nd May 2015

Booking/info: Visit www.wildlifetrusts.org/events/2015/05/02/landscape-and-wildlife-photography for full course details and booking information

Visit a quirky museum

The UK is pretty good at museums! From the world famous attractions in London, to some of the smallest (and oddest) museums you’ve never heard of – think of a topic and there’s probably a museum dedicated to it somewhere on these isles! We like the Shell Museum in Glandford, North Norfolk, a genuinely intriguing and cute museum housed in a converted chapel full of curiosities and amazing artefacts. But there’s also the Pencil Museum in the Lake District, the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall, and museums dedicated to prams, locks and even dog collars (thanks to this Telegraph picture gallery!).

When: Smaller museums are often run only by volunteers so have limited opening times. Always check their website for full details (and don’t forget to support them by supplementing your entry fee with a donation!).

Enjoy the long weekend!

Has the prospect of a few days off work crept up on you and you’re now in a chocolate-induced panic about what to do? The Easter break is peak-time for travel, so you can either jump in and join the crowds or just use the bank holiday to rest and relax. Here are some of our ideas for things to do this Easter. Now hop to it Easter bunnies!

Check last minute availability at a self-catering cottage

It’s a long shot but not every lodge, cottage, cabin or barn will be full this Easter holiday. Owners will be keen to fill gaps, particularly in the harder to fill week days, so chance your luck with a browse of self-catering accommodation sites and you may be able to grab a bargain. Some of our favourites, which also feature their fair share of eco-friendly homes, include Uniquehomestays.com, HolidayCottageCompare.com, SykesCottages.co.uk and HomeAway.co.uk.

You can also read our profiles of eco-friendly accommodation in Cornwall, Norfolk, Suffolk and Fort William in Scotland. And if you don’t have any luck this time, at least you’ve given yourself a head start on finding a place for summer!

Treat yourself to an Easter-themed afternoon tea

Whiling away an afternoon sipping tea and nibbling teenie-tiny cakes just can’t be done during a regular working week. Use the holidays to indulge in a classic treat whether it be traditional, luxury, vegan, fashionable, cool or rustic. Search Afternoontea.co.uk for hundreds of options across the UK including specials and promotions for Easter. We also found a few healthy-sounding vegan options if you’ve overdone it on the chocolate eggs.

Enjoy eco-friendly family fun

We’ve already picked out some of our favourite eco-friendly family days out – from the Eden Project in Cornwall, to BeWILDerwood in Norfolk, llama parks and organic farms. See our 7 of the best…Eco-friendly family days out.

Go for an Easter walk

It may not be summer-high temperatures just yet, but we’re now on British Summer Time so there is no excuse not to get out into the fresh air and make the most of longer days. Walking is a great way to stay fit, explore a local area, do a bit of wildlife watching on the way, and it’s absolutely free.

Take your pick of woodland walks, coastal walks, hill treks, village strolls, or city ambles. Walking Britain provides a free online resource for walkers detailing recommended walks in National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Trails and other notable areas of the UK.

Feast at a food market

There are lots of farmer’s markets and street food festivals taking place this Easter. Sample some of the best seasonal fare (roast lamb, fresh new greens) direct from producers; or treat yourself to something exotic or handmade (possibly even chocolate-based if you haven’t had enough). One of our faves, the Real Food Market in London is moving to its new home of King’s Cross station as of 1st April (no longer at Southbank, but check out our old review for a flavour of what to expect in King’s Cross). Find out more about Real Food Market here. You can catch another of our faves Street Feast at a couple of dates around Easter – see website for details.

Check your local council website for details of farmer’s markets or food fairs in your area – and get down there. It’s often a ‘use it, or lose it’ situation!

Visit a pier

Yes, it’s not sunbathing weather quite yet, but you can brave a trip to the coast and while away an afternoon on one of Britain’s traditional seaside piers. After all, the British seaside is a classic bank holiday destination – even if it rains! Grab some fish ‘n’ chips, change a pound coin into coppers for a few goes on the arcade machines, and then warm up with a cup of tea on the pier. Here’s our write-up of things to do around Cromer Pier, in north Norfolk, which has just been named the UK’s Pier of the Year.

Explore a National Trust property

We don’t know exactly what it is, but a visit to a National Trust home or garden just screams Easter to us! It’s the start of the tourist season so all of the locations are usually spruced up and ready for the coming months, and there almost always is an Easter Egg Hunt (in a huge garden or woodland) that you can join. Some properties include working farms so you also get an added bonus of new little lambs to spot. Visit NationalTrust.org.uk for details.

Have a sit down

Sometimes a bank holiday is just a great excuse for a sit down. Avoid holiday traffic, avoid tourists and day-tripping families, avoid entry fees and car parking fees…. Just take a seat (preferably outside if you can – we’ve had months of winter, come on, let’s make the most of it), grab a good book (here are a few we recommend) or simply close your eyes and take a snooze….. See you when the egg-madness is over!

Tag: things to do

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