Boxing Days out
CHEEK- CHILLING WALKS, DAREDEVIL DIPS OR A DAY AT THE RACES – PLENTY OF ENERGETIC IDEAS TO PERSUADE YOU FROM YOUR SOFA TO MAKE A DAY OF IT ON THE 26TH
There’s nothing like spending several days over Christmas in the company of your blood relatives to truly crystallise your family’s eccentricities. By the time you get to the Boxing Day walk, you emerge from the family home, blinking in the weak sunlight as if waking from a brandy cream coma, still under the misapprehension you’re all pretty normal. But then you trudge along in your wellies through the misty morning, shrugging your scarves up around your ears and breathing great clouds of breath into the damp air, and you start to greet the other walkers that pass you by. There’s a “Merry Christmas” here, and a “lovely morning for it,” there and, after a while, you realise that yours are the only parents performing a duet from Gigi into a tree branch-cum-walking stick; your brother is wearing a tam o’ shanter with a cowboy poncho entirely without irony; and you are struggling along in two-and-half tons of soggy duffel coat, smelling like a wet donkey, and making a squelching sound with every step (stream jumping didn’t go so well…). Oh,
“Britain’s parks and commons will be dotted with festive runners looking for a way to raise their heart rates ”
and then there’s the brass megaphone through which your dad likes to regularly communicate with your sister, who since hitting her teens prefers to keep a healthy 100 paces between herself and the rest of the family for fear of association. Sound familiar, or was that just us?
Of course, years later, and with the arrival of the in-laws, there’s been a notable dampening down of the family barmy gene. But the Boxing Day walk remains an institution, mainly because after 48 hours of central heating, log fires and occasional actual fires (mum makes a surprisingly flammable Christmas pud), we’re all gasping for a bit of fresh air and the chance to interact with someone, anyone, unrelated to us – preferably the local barman to whose pub all Boxing Day walks must lead.
We’ll sip on our ginger ales, hot mulled cider or G&Ts, still wearing our cracker hats from yesterday, because what kind of killjoy doesn’t try to keep it going a full 24 hours post-turkey? Then we’ll make an about turn, and trudge on home, a tiny bit tiddly and doubly friendly to the people we pass, embracing that rare camaraderie among strangers that this time of year can bring. We’ll waggle off our wellies at the front door and wrestle mud-caked toddlers out of waterproofs, before cobbling together a criminal concoction of pickles and roast turkey leftovers that inexplicably taste even better than they did yesterday. It’s not much, but for us, it’s the best Boxing Day day out. But if walking’s a bit pedestrian for your liking, there are plenty of other things to try…
TAKE THE PLUNGE
Nothing will take your breath away faster than a festive dip al fresco this 26 December. From wild swimmers washing away the Christmas cobwebs, to spontaneous daredevils stripped down to their novelty undies, the Boxing Day swim has become quite a tradition on these island shores. If you fancy joining a bit of tomfoolery, you’ll find no shortage of company from the
hundreds of bonkers bathers attending organised events planned up and down the country this Christmas.
Now in its 46th year, Tenby’s Boxing Day Swim (tenbyboxingdayswim.co.uk) is one of the oldest, and attracts hundreds of fancy dress-clad swimmers to its North Beach, where they are greeted from the icy surf with a roaring bonfire and a medal for bravery. If you’re more interested in a solitary soak somewhere secluded, Britain is packed with wild swimming beauty spots, such as Crummock Water in the Lake District with its spectacular views of the fells, or in the Thames at Port Meadow in Oxfordshire with its little river beach (for more ideas visit wildswimming.co.uk). Of course not everyone wants to herald the New Year with frostbite, so you could compromise with a heated lido – try Lido Ponty ( lidoponty.co.uk) or Arundel (arundel-lido.com); Hampton Pool, Middlesex ( hamptonpool.co.uk) is open all year, too.
RUN IT OFF
When you consider that Christmas dinner can contain up to 1,500 calories, chances are you’ll probably have a few spare to burn come Boxing Day. But getting out into the wintry air for a festive run isn’t just for the guilt-ridden or ultra-fit. As the astronomic rise in popularity of the volunteer-led Park Run ( parkrun.org.uk) proves, whether you’re very young, very old, fit or in need of some fine-tuning, anyone can lace up their trainers and enjoy a leisurely jog or brisk mid-winter run out in the crisp December air. Give it a go this Boxing Day, and you won’t be alone; Britain’s parks, commons, tow paths and bridleways will be dotted with festive runners looking for a way to ruddy their cheeks and raise their heart rates, that doesn’t involve watching the
Strictly Christmas special with the last of Santa’s brandy. If you need more incentive to get out of your armchair, head to one of the many organised fun runs, where you’ll find a jolly atmosphere and some moral support. Since Park Run only operates at weekends, this year’s festive meets will happen on Christmas Day itself, but of the many Boxing Day runs planned, you could try Kent’s annual Saltwood Charity Fun Run (nice-work.org.uk), which claims to
be the ideal hangover cure; unlike Hindhead’s Boxing Day 3.5 mile event, which offers ‘athletes’ on the drinking run a pint of ale after two miles ( boxingdayrun.org).
GET YOUR SKATES ON
If you’ve ever dreamed of heading down to your local frozen lake with your earmuffs and ice skates to perform arabesques to a gathering crowd, you’ll need to move to Sweden (and probably get some lessons). But just because it’s become a bit too balmy here in Britain for our lakes to turn into natural ice rinks, it doesn’t mean you can’t live out your dream on one of the outdoor rinks that pop up all over the UK at this time of year. And what’s more Christmassy than an evening skate lit by fairy lights, followed by a cup of mulled wine?
This year, Somerset House’s pop-up rink will be hosting club nights, Jazz skate and a Polar Cub Club for youngsters (somersethouse.org.uk). Other cities will be hosting their own winter wonderland rinks, including York, Nottingham, Norwich and Winchester, as will Hampton Court Palace and The Eden Project. If blades just don’t cut it, you could always go retro with the roller variety – no ice necessary.
RAISE A CHEER
Having a flutter on the gee-gees has long been a Boxing Day tradition, perhaps because 26 December is also St Stephen’s Day, the patron saint of the horse. But it doesn’t have to be all about the horses; a
“What’s more Christmassy than an evening skate lit by fairy lights followed by a cup of mulled wine?”
day out at the races can also be a great occasion for meeting friends, sharing a bet and a tipple, with the added thrill of being part of a roaring crowd. Several meets will be taking place this year, including Market Rasen in Lincolnshire, Wincanton in Somerset and of course, Kempton Park, which has hosted the famous Boxing Day King George VI Chase since 1937. If you prefer something closer to home, dig out your bobble hat and football scarf, and go and support your local FC. They may be no Man U, but since the Boxing Day fixture is traditionally set against a local rival team, there’s sure to be plenty of good-hearted banter to while away 90 minutes.
BRAVE THE SALES
There are two types of people in this world: those who’d rather stick cocktail sticks in their eyes than go within 50 feet of a shopping centre on Boxing Day; and those who’d walk barefoot over a mile of Christmas tree needles just to be there when the shutters go up. With shops expected to slash prices by up to 90% in an attempt to off-load their seasonal stock, it’s no surprise millions of us brave the shops the day after Christmas. So sharpen your elbows and set an alarm for before dawn, because there are bargains to be had, for those who dare.