The outdoors holds a special place in our hearts. So many memories. As a child, chucked outside in all weathers, splashing in puddles on rainy days, chasing butterflies and making compost pies. Dipping toes in the icy sea, strawberry picking in sunshine, pressing flowers, playing hide and seek, piggy-in-the-middle and handstands against the wall. Soggy mittens in the snow, along with tears from being so bitingly cold.
Into adulthood and clambering up peaks with a trusted furry friend and along rivers where swans swim gracefully. Picnicking in parks and playing rounders with mates. Tramping through fields, past bright yellow gorse, noticing each season as it emerges. Buds appearing slowly on the trees in spring, country lanes full of cow parsley come May. Summer and paddling in streams, trips to the seaside, flying kites shaped like birds then the wheatfields turn golden as geese fly overhead signifying the end of the long school holidays. Hedgerows laden with blackberries ripe for picking and before you know it the trees turn a vibrant orange and red as autumn puts on its finest show.
Winter often feels long. Once harvest is done the fields turn a muddy brown, the sky looks like it’s falling down as it smothers with its greyness. But the bright morning frosts and the curious misty starts break up the dark nights, short days and heavy skies. Winter solstice passes by and snow falls. There is nothing more beautiful than fresh snow, clinging onto the trees and bushes making the surrounding scenery look magical.
Once Christmas is over, it’s just eight weeks before the buds start to bloom and the hope of spring is upon us. The best thing about the UK and its unpredictable weather is the beauty of seasons. We have a climate where you can experience the outdoors almost every day. It’s never too cold, too hot, too wet or too humid for long. And the seasons mark the passing of time, the changing landscape and all that we love about the great outdoors.
Taking a walk outside can be the greatest of gifts, even on the darkest, dampest of days. A look up at the sky, the trees, the feeling of the wind blowing on your face. A walk, even a short 10-minute stomp, can slow life down, give fresh perspective, you can discover new things. An abandoned tiny blue eggshell, a dandelion, a pinecone, a beautiful blossom tree. Even in the busiest of cities, nature is everywhere. The outside is just beyond your front door and it’s for everyone.
Enjoy.
Have your own adventure in the great outdoors with YHA.
Photo credit: navee / Adobe Stock
