Free weekend activity – Wild flower walk

Can you guess what we’ve been up to recently from the title of this blog post? Last weekend my husband and I set off on a lovely weekend walk in the countryside, planning to find a bluebell wood which (having googled it) we knew was nearby. After a long period of cold wintry weather in April, the sun was finally out so we wanted to make the most of this lovely spring weekend and get outside. We pulled on our boots, packed up our gloves (just in case the wind picked up) and even took a snack with us to nibble on at lunchtime. We were ready to head out into the great outdoors, to breathe in the fresh air, get a bit of exercise after a week cooped up in the office, and drink in the glorious views. Little did we know that all – and I mean ALL – the spring flowers had finally come into bloom. Our amble through the countryside had quickly turned into a botany trip. Spotting different flowers as we strolled along the footpath became a competition between us, almost like ticking off the flowers in an ‘Eye Spy’ wildflower book. Luckily, we’d brought the camera with us in anticipation of getting some pretty shots in the bluebell woods, so we began taking photos of all the flowers we saw on the route. We had soon photographed more varieties of flower, blossom and ‘weed’ than we could count, and that was before we’d even found our way into the wood. When we arrived at Reydon Wood the route had been marked out by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust as a dedicated ‘bluebell walk’ so we strolled through the first part of the wood, still gathering photos of other varieties of flower, and hoping to round a corner and see a swathe of bluebells. You won’t believe it, but as we wandered along the path, the clouds burst open and it started to hail! Luckily, the canopy of the woodland protected us from being pelted with hailstones but we could see it coming down against the sunny backdrop of fields. Could a hail storm produce a rainbow, we wondered? Would it be solid? Thankfully, it was just a quick shower of hail and soon the blue skies were filled with fluffy clouds and sunshine again.

So, having not really intended to post photos of our weekend walk on the blog, now that we had a whole catalogue of wildflower photos, I couldn’t resist. It’s also a good excuse for me to tell you how lovely it is to just go for a walk. In true Cassiefairy.com style, it’s a thrifty activity because it’s free. I guess that some woodlands or special bluebell walks might be in the grounds of a heritage home that may charge an entry fee – so watch out for that – but even so it’s definitely worth getting outside while the weather is nice and breathing some of that fresh air into your lungs. If you can end the walk with a warming cuppa in the tea shop of a stately home, even better!

The exercise is great; you hardly notice that you’ve been walking for miles when you’re distracted by stunning views, pretty flowers and birdsong. Whereas I’d probably jump in the car to go to the post box only a mile away, on this day I was happy to walk as far as the path took me, so my legs definitely saw much more action than usual. After spending almost all day every day sat at my desk, my legs definitely thank me for getting them moving in the evenings and at weekends. We do regularly go on short walks – most evenings in nice weather – and it’s lovely to watch how the scenery changes from one week to the next as crops grow, flowers bloom and weeds take over the country verges.

Even if you’re based in a town, taking a walk around the nearby streets can be a great adventure too. You can notice the different colours of the front doors, discover a new café you’ve never seen before and spot what fruit and veg are in season at the market. I’d say that just walking in general is a great activity because it’s free, gets your eyes away from all those screens, and can even make you feel more calm. Anyway, it’s one of my favourite weekend activities and I hope you’ll try it out sometime soon. Maybe have a look online to find a park, woodland or footpath nearby and go for a walk THIS weekend? Let me know if you do!

PIN THIS THRIFTY DAY OUT IDEA FOR LATER..!