How families can enjoy eco-friendly days out
With summer holidays upon us, it’s time to enjoy spending time with our families. There are so many planetfriendly ways you can do this. Here are just a few ideas ...
Pack some sandwiches and head out to the countryside or a coastal path.
As well as being one of the cheapest days out, spending time in nature is one of the best things you can do together.
Research shows it’s good for everyone’s mental health and wellbeing. The UK also has 15 beautiful National Parks to explore.
A global garden in a series of
Go for a walk The Eden Project
bubble-like glass domes, Cornwall’s top visitor attraction pro- vides an unforgettable day out.
You can explore tropical rainforests and Mediterranean landscapes, as well as enjoy a packed programme of cultural summer events.
Thanks to a bus from St Aus- tell station, you can get there by public transport.
The Centre for Alternative Technology
Nestled in the foothills of Snowdonia, Wales, is a worldleading eco centre, where the latest green technologies are tested.
The Centre for Alternative Technology is all about creating a future without fossil fuels.
You enter via a water-powered
funicular railway before exploring hands-on displays about renewable energy and green buildings.
There’s also an adventure playground, quarry trail and plenty of spectacular woodland to explore. It’s dog-friendly too!
With locations in Cheshire and Norfolk, the BeWILDerwoods are outdoor play parks based on Tom Blofeld’s magical children’s books of the same name.
Kids will love to explore these woodland worlds of wonky tree houses – with zip wires, super slides and giant swings. There are storytelling and craft sessions too.
As well as over 50,000 living plants on its UNESCO World Heritage site, Kew Gardens, offers the world’s largest Victo
BeWILDerwood Kew Gardens
rian glasshouse and a children’s garden, where little ones can run, jump and climb.
If you’re not near London, there are plenty of other botanic gardens, such as The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, Cambridge University Botanic Garden and Sheffield Botanical Gardens.
Visit a rewilding project
As the UK’s one of the most nature depleted countries on Earth, it’s a great idea to support rewilding projects by visiting them. Knepp Wildland is an East Sussex estate that was once intensively farmed. Look out for the Tamworth pigs, Exmoor ponies and red deer! Bamff Wildland in Perthshire, Scotland, has its own beavers.