I hope you said ‘White Rabbits’ yesterday? I sadly didn’t get the chance to nip outside and wash my face in the dew and participate in that old superstition which says doing just that on 1st May will bring you a good complexion and beauty for the rest of the year. It’s a shame, as being a Mum of a lively toddler I need all the help I can get!
Superstitions aside, May has burst open with a flourish of sunshine and the blossoming en-masse of every bloom in sight. It seems finally Spring got the memo and everything is happening at once. On top of that, it’s a bank holiday weekend this weekend (woohoo!) and the weather is not looking too shoddy. We might even be able to go outside without a winter coat!
We are off to the West Country for some of the weekend but will also be finding time for some walking in the local bluebell woods – from doing absolutely nothing, the carpets of green plants seem to have erupted into blue carpets with the warmth of the sun and the displays promise to be pretty good, even if still in their early stages. The Woodland Trust has a handy search engine to find your closest bluebell woods to walk in, so don’t miss out on this truly English natural wonder.
If like me you are also travelling by car this bank holiday, you might find the Baby Routes family friendly service station alternative ideas for the M1 and M4 motorways handy. Service stations are so rarely nice places to stop with kids for stretching your legs or grabbing food, so I put together a few ideas for other places to stop off and turn a journey into an enjoyable part of a holiday. If you’re travelling by car on a long journey for the first time with a baby, try these ideas to make your journey that bit smoother. I really need to write a similar post for toddlers now – my daughter definitely has a new set of car tricks these days! Heading to London for the first time with a baby or toddler? Check out these tips for travelling in the capital with a pushchair.
If you have a baby who is always up with the lark, why not embrace it just the once this weekend. It is International Dawn Chorus Day this Sunday – a celebration of another of nature’s wonders. The birds are in full voice right now and early risers will tune into a veritable cacophony of bird song as they, like us, greet the spring with enthusiasm. There are lots of local events on both Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May, where you can join a walk or meet-up to listen to the birds in top spots and benefit from expert knowledge of the guides to help identify the different songs and singers. Find your closest event on the IDCD website here.
Heading to the wilds for a walk? There are plenty of ideas on the Baby Routes walk section as well as lots more links to useful websites for pushchair walks on the National Parks Walk with Wheels post. Yes – it is possible to push a buggy around the Lake District or Cairngorms if you know the right places to go!
For those into all things equine, don’t forget to pack a picnic and head to the famous Badminton Horse Trials in the park of Badminton House, Gloucestershire. If tractor pulling competitions, livestock, crafts and all manner of rural entertainment are more your thing, the North Somerset Show is on bank holiday Monday. For the foodies amongst you, great days out are to be had at the Dales Festival of Food and Drink and the Sussex Food and South Downs Fair. All the events have plenty going on for the entire family and make a great day out.
Whatever and wherever you choose to spend your bank holiday weekend, have a great one and please share any great ideas or a post about the Bank Holiday with a comment or using the linky below!
