It’s time to up our picnicking game

Our first tentative taste of freedom is something to be savoured to the full, says Anna Hart

Iused to be a cool customer when it came to travel. It took a Namibian safari or an Arctic adventure to really quicken my pulse. No longer! This week I had a picnic on my local stretch of sand in Kent, and I was practically vibrating with anticipation all weekend. My new lockdown-acclimatised standards are infinitely preferable, of course; I never want to go back to being the sort of numb and jaded traveller who can’t fully appreciate what I have on my doorstep.

I’ve considered “treating” my lockdown support bubble Aleks to some sort of Irish picnic – and St Patrick’s Day is looming ominously – but Irish stew isn’t exactly picnic food. But, that aside, I’m truly excited about upping my picnicking game. Because if I have learned anything as a traveller this past year, it is that the journey is something to savour, rather than to wish away. Right now, that journey is the one out of lockdown.

And right now, what British travellers have is picnics. Picnics are likely to form the basis of most social occasions until mid-May, so investing in Cath Kidston is probably just as shrewd as getting your head around cryptocurrency. And if picnics don’t excite you right now, well, you aren’t picnicking hard enough.

On Monday April 8, which as well as picnic-legalisation day was International Women’s Day, Aleks lovingly prepared a feminist cavewoman-themed shish extravaganza. In his homeland of Bulgaria, most summer weekends involve families gathering to grill skewers of chicken, pork and vegetables over hot coals; this is his go-to picnicking protocol. “I never realised how savage Balkan picnics are compared with British picnics,” he observed, brandishing a glinting sabre. I momentarily considered trying to defend the Great British picnic, but all I could imagine was Tupperware boxes of soggy couscous and M&S tubs of hummus, so I stayed silent.

For now, that is. Because I predict that 2021 is the year when Britain will dramatically up our picnicking game. This is the moment to begin rivalling other major players on the global picnicking scene, namely South Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey and Sweden. When I campervanned around New Zealand, the free gas barbecues provided at Department of Conservation campsites and beach car parks struck me as a true mark of civilisation. And my first Maori hangi, cooking kumara (sweet potatoes), meat and fish in heated rocks buried in the ground left a vivid impression. Any nomadic society, too, will really have perfected its picnicking culture, and the Mongolian khorkhog, another method of cooking meat (traditionally mutton) with hot stones, is a

similarly carnivorous and celebratory alternative to a cheddar sandwich. A little less bloodthirsty are hanami, Japanese cherry-blossom viewing picnics, where families gather with homemade dishes – and easels and watercolours – to celebrate spring. Virtually every nation has its own picnicking culture, and they vary wildly, from the genteel to the bacchanalian, from low-key to lavish.

Here in the UK, we have an enviable picnicking heritage, dating back to extravagant outdoor meals for medieval hunting parties. Picnics remained a point of national pride right through the Victorian and Edwardian eras. But recently, we’ve lost our way, I suppose because we found our way to chip shops and posh cafes. Perhaps we can further blame it on the creeping invasion of Tesco Metro and Sainsbury’s Local supermarkets on every street corner, making it all too easy to rely on plasticwrapped salads and finger foods.

This month sees the publication of Max’s Picnic Book, by the chef Max Halley. “The poor old picnic has become a chintzy pastiche,” Halley declares, entirely accurately. “Originally quite a rock ‘n’ roll affair, it now belongs to London’s eye-wateringly expensive food emporiums and Enid Bloody Blyton etc. But it’s not theirs, it’s ours, and we want it back!”

The pandemic timing of Halley’s rallying cry is pure coincidence, but it could hardly be more opportune. During this past year, cooking and eating outdoors has become one of my greatest pleasures. On our first picnic, Aleks taught me to hand-roll pasta, which we then boiled over a fire in seawater, and ate with pesto made from foraged sea purslane. Aleks also thinks nothing of carting a load of Whitstable oysters into a park and shucking them, providing little jars of pickles to try them with.

SURF’S UP, BRISTOL Brand-new for May, you can now stay yards away from the most consistent surf break in the UK, on the outskirts of one of the coolest cities. The Wave is a 180m-long surf lake where surf will always be up, with sessions available all day long (though you need to book), plus surf lessons. Whether you are a family of complete novices or your kids see the water more than they see you, this is a fun and safe environment to catch some breaks. The safari tents are located in a private field near the lake and are comfortably kitted out, with wood burner, kitchenette, a double bed, two sets of bunk beds and a sofa bed in each.

Tents (sleep eight) cost from £180 per night with a minimum two-night stay (0333 016 4133; stay.thewave.com).

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The Wave in Bristol creates a variety of waves ranging from 2ft to 6ft in face height

HOUSEBOAT HEAVEN, DEVON For a quiet, simple holiday, these three houseboats (spaced more than 100 yards apart) on Blagdon Water each have their own jetty, summerhouse and picnic and barbecue area. They have two cabins each (one double and one twin) and are simply a delight. There is trout fishing from the riverbank while the location on the border of Devon and Cornwall means that the Atlantic coast, with its beaches and coastal walks, is just a few miles away.

From £595 for a week (01865 600425; oneoffplaces.co.uk).

SEA SAFARI, AYRSHIRE Glenapp Castle, on the edge of the Galloway Forest Park, is great for multigenerational holidays. Let the grandparents put the kids to bed while you enjoy a romantic six-course dinner before a spot of stargazing beneath blankets as you sip on whisky. There are lots of heritage sites within easy access of the hotel, plus dozens of activities for the kids within the castle’s 110 acres. More adventurous family members might want to take part in the hotel’s twonight sea safari in which you will travel by RIB to remote isles off the Ayrshire coast, looking out for dolphins, whales and birdlife en route, before reaching your luxury campsite where your private chef will cook up a feast of lobster, oysters or rack of lamb.

The Hebridean Sea Safari starts from £3,250 per person, including two nights, dinner, one night bed and breakfast at the castle and two nights luxury glamping (01465

831212; glenappcastle. com).

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The Galloway

Forest Park is a designated Dark Skies

h Spot Scottish wildlife on Glenapp Castle’s sea safari

Park, making it a great spot for a spot of stargazing.

LAKESIDE LIVIN’, COTSWOLDS Why not stay on the water instead of simply just next to it? Stay One Degree offers an ultra-modern home with four beds and four bathrooms, built over the lake to accommodate two households in supreme style. There are floor-toceiling windows all around, a deck terrace to take in the tranquil views, plus a very cool roof terrace. Lake swimming is actively encouraged (under adult supervision, of course), the kids can play in the garden, plus there is a TV room and a pool table. You’re also close to the Thames for family boat rides. From £2,000 per night (stayonedegree. com).

CANAL TO CASTLE,

WARWICKSHIRE

These five-day barge holidays along the Grand Union Canal are great for beginner canal boat captains. Setting off from Stockton, it takes just 14 hours to cruise along to Warwick Castle and back, leaving plenty of time for you to overnight along the route and moor up by the castle on day two or three to experience the extravaganza of the family-favourite medieval fortress. The 38ft-long narrowboat has room for four guests on board and with 40 locks (20 of them each way) to navigate, you will be a boating expert by the end of the trip. From £955 (May 31 to Jun 4) including diesel, damage waiver, first pet, parking, bedding and tuition (0344 984 0322; drifters.co.uk). Entry to Warwick Castle (warwickcastle.com) costs from £17 per person. More information: canalrivertrust.org.uk

The UK has an enviable picnicking heritage – but have we lost our way?

i Cruise along the Grand Union Canal for a medieval day out at Warwick Castle