After publishing my original list of fifty things to do outside in summer back in May 2017, and just like my autumn version, it’s been one of my most-viewed posts since then. Well it’s time for a spruce up; here’s a refreshed version to help inspire your One Hour Outsides as we move towards the longer days of Spring. Have fun trying the ideas!
I love this time of year. It has so much promise. There is so much promise and potential for outdoors adventure at home and away – it’s getting warmer, drier (when we’re fortunate), and generally feels like there is more time in the day to spend at least some of it outside.
But sometimes it’s hard to come up with ideas when you spend so much time busy with work, chores, and the other things. Cue another one of my fifty things to do outside posts, which will hopefully provide you with some inspiration.
This list is designed as motivation and encouragement to get you outdoors from home. Adventure doesn’t have to mean going deep into the wilderness, or having loads of specialist equipment. Some of my best outdoors memories are based not far from my own front door, and UK based fun can be equally as memorable as heading abroad. I mean, you can probably do all of these things a long way from home too, but the point is that you don’t have to.
Find time this spring and summer to spend at least One Hour Outside every day as often as you can. These ideas should help keep things interesting.
My list of fifty things to do is presented in no particular order.
Fifty Things To Do Outside | Spring Edition
01 Set yourself an outdoors-based challenge, such as One Hour Outside, Couch to 5k, or similar. Challenges like these are a great way to encourage you outside regularly – and to get you moving.
02 Spend some time tending to your garden so it’s ready to enjoy throughout spring and summer. Not got your own garden? Offer to help someone else with theirs.
03 While you’re in your garden, make an insect hotel and keep a diary of the critters you see. I recently saw one in someone’s front garden so those passing by could take a look, too, which I thought was a lovely thing.
04 Make a bird table or feeder and record all the bird species that come to visit. Encourage our native species now and they’ll visit in autumn and winter, too.
05 Find a space to plant a mini wildflower meadow in your own garden or somewhere else others may have forgotten, and watch it grow over the summer.
06 Grow some herbs or salad leaves in your garden or a window box and use them in a homemade meal.
07 Get the barbecue out (if it’s anything like mine you’ll need to clean it first…) and cook outdoors – breakfast, lunch and dinner!
08 Spend the evening tending a wood fire (a fire bowl in the garden is a really wonderful thing), toasting marshmallows and telling adventure stories.
09 Have an ice cream party. You provide the ice cream, guests bring their favourite toppings and accompaniments to share with everyone. If you invite me, I’ll bring maple syrup and little fudge pieces.
10 Another gathering idea… Hold a beach themed party in your garden. Complete with paddling pool (yes, for adults!).
11 Learn to hula-hoop. Or skip. Both of these are much better outdoors than in!
12 Hold a sunflower growing competition with your family or work colleagues. You’ll need photographic proof that yours is the tallest!
13 Grab a book or magazine and head to a bench with a great view and sit and read for a while. Bonus points if you remember a flask of tea (or a cold drink if the weather is particularly kind).
14 Take a board game and massive picnic blanket to your local park and sit and play all afternoon.
15 Climb a tree. An outdoor activity not just for kids!
16 Enjoy that? Give rock climbing a go. There are instructors up and down the country who offer guided sessions complete with all the kit you need. I tried it at Cheddar Gorge.
17 Go camping – in a campsite or in your garden.
18 If you want something more adventurous, sleep under the stars without a tent – bivvy in your back garden or a suitable spot.
19 Really don’t want to be outside all night? Take a nap in a hammock, see how you like it (the outdoors really doesn’t have to be hard work!).
20 Wherever you sleep, get up early and watch the sunrise from the top of a hill.
21 Go for an early morning walk from your own front door to pick up breakfast from a local cafe.
22 At the other end of the day, watch the sunset over the sea. There is something incredibly special about watching the sun go down over water.
23 Bag all the trig pillars within an hour’s drive of your house. Or in your county. Or in your region. How many can you do before the clocks change back to GMT?
24 Climb a mountain. An actual mountain – such as Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike or Snowdon here in the UK.
25 Follow a river or stream from its source to its end. Many of them are waymarked, such as the Isbourne Way. Or how about the Thames Path if you want something (much) longer?
26 Walk behind a waterfall, such as on the Four Falls Trail in Wales.
27 Create and host a scavenger hunt around your office, school or church for your friends and family. You could even use this to raise money for charity.
28 Go on a photo walk – walk with the specific aim of taking ten photos and see how it helps you experience the outdoors slightly differently to normal.
29 Go colour hunting. How many colours can you spot during your One Hour Outside? Can you tick off all the colours of the rainbow? Or everything in that song from Joseph?! A great one to do with kids.
30 Do the Gruffalo Trail (or similar) at your nearest forest or country park.
31 Slow and quieten down completely and go bird watching at your local nature reserve.
32 Find all the geocaches in your local area. How many are there?
33 Pick your own strawberries – or raspberries, or other fruits and vegetables – at a local farm.
34 Go for a long walk barefoot along a sandy seashore and let the waves lap over your feet.
35 Go rock pooling and see how many crabs and other rock-living creatures you can see.
36 Swim in the sea, a lake or natural swimming pool.
37 Play crazy golf at the seaside.
38 Get out on a river or lake in a rowing boat, canoe, kayak, or on a paddle board.
39 Do a tree top adventure course such as Go Ape.
40 Play team games such as frisbee, rounders, volleyball, football or cricket.
41 Try an outdoor target-based activity such as archery, axe throwing or clay pigeon shooting.
42 Head to a mountain biking centre (one that offers bike hire and uplifts…) and try some downhill trails. I loved this one in the Forest of Dean.
43 Take a day trip to a city you’ve never visited before and explore on foot or by bicycle. Meander on your own, or do the local town trail to make sure you see all the sights.
44 Or (and!), invite friends to visit you and take them for a walk in a city you know really well. Show them all the secret bits only you know about!
45 Explore some castle ruins, an iron age hill fort,or a battlefield, and learn about what happened there.
46 Visit a Cathedral or large church and climb the spire or tower staircase to take in the view from the top.
47 Tick off one of the most adrenaline-fuelled activities on your own bucket list – such as zip lining, bungee jumping or even skydiving.
48 Find an outdoors exercise class instead of going to the gym.
49 Go for a 5pm to 9am micro adventure – go straight from work off into the countryside (by any means), sleep under the stars, and head to work from there in the morning.
50 Find wifi outside and work through your inbox or write that article you’ve been meaning to write for ages. Work can be outside, too.
I reckon these ideas should keep your outside time interesting over the course of this spring and well into summer. You never know, your new outdoor hobby might be hidden in amongst this things to do list! But as we can always do with more inspiration, please feel free to add your suggestions in the comments below!
What are your favourite things to do outside at this time of year?
And if you want an extra challenge, it would be great to have you join in my little One Hour Outside project to spend a little bit of time outside every day.