Christmas is something we look forward to each year, and we spend the day enjoying delicious food and lazing around the house. With a lot of wonderful opportunities for fun and parties throughout this time of year it is important to leave time for a break outside as well. Taking a walk on Boxing Day to help clear your head and enjoy the outdoors is a yearly tradition. With gorgeous views of the winter landscape and a perfect excuse to leave the stuffy house behind you and enjoy the fresh air, there are plenty of fantastic ways to spend your time.
In Kent and Sussex there are a lot of great ways to enjoy the outdoors and spend time with friends and family, with incredible landscapes to explore. Here are a few fantastic options for a fantastic Boxing Day:
Hiking
Packing up the car and taking off for a walk around your local area is a great way to enjoy your Boxing Day. Whether you are heading out for a day-long hike or a short pootle around your village, a trip outdoors with a bite of frost in the air is a great way to clear your head to bring you back from your post-Christmas fog.
When planning a walk for Boxing Day, consider who will be coming with you. If there are young children in your extended family, or if Grandma is coming along, then a route with lots of mud or hills will probably not work for them. There are many paved routes with fewer hills that will work a lot better for a whole family route. If you need a better work out, going for a run directly after returning from your walk can be a good compromise.
Sledding
If you have the luck of a white Christmas, then spending your Boxing Day out sledding can be fantastic fun, with tea trays and potentially tarpaulin working well as makeshift sleds for those without proper plastic or wooden ones. If you have a slope in your garden, then this can be used, but If you do not have much outdoor space there are plenty of parks and slopes near footpaths that are often free to use.
While sledding is by far the most popular, there are many different activities to enjoy during a snowy day, including snowball fights, building snowmen or even creating snow angels. Make sure you are wrapped up warm and you can enjoy the snow throughout the day.
Fly a Kite
With strong winds throughout the winter, Christmas can be a great time to enjoy some kite flying if the weather stays clear. With many different kites available for you to try at the beach or near our beautiful reservoir, kite flying is a brilliant and leisurely way to enjoy your Boxing Day morning.
If you have a pre-bought kite at home to take out that can be fantastic to fly, but if you don’t then creating your own can be a great family project to enjoy. Many kite making tutorials are available in crafts books, and most can be made using bits of crafting equipment that you may already have in the house.
Cycling
If you are considering attempting a longer route for your Boxing Day trip, cycling can be a great way to ensure your trip outdoors can be engaging and fun for all the family. While walking can be laborious if you are going long distances, cycling, especially if you have an electric bike, will take you the same distance with a lot less effort. If you have very young children with you, there are always children’s bicycle seats to ensure they aren’t left out.
Short cycling trips can be great fun, and if not all of your family have a bicycle to use, there are plenty of bicycle hire options in Kent and Sussex. Make sure to call ahead to check that they are open in order to avoid disappointment, as many venues will be shut over the holidays.
Dog Walking
If you have started feeling stir crazy after a few days stuck inside, then think about how your dog must feel! While they may have been able to brighten their day by stealing any pigs in blankets left unattended, a long Boxing Day dog walk can help you get back into your usual routine. Taking the dog out for a walk can be a fantastic family activity, and when the dog is feeling happy and enjoying themselves it will give you positive energy in turn.
Doggy Christmas presents are coming into vogue, with many getting treats and toys for their beloved pooch over the Christmas holidays. Bringing a tennis ball or rope to play ‘fetch’ with can be a lot of fun for everyone. Remember that dogs can feel the cold as well. Some breeds with shaggy fur will be fine in cold weather, but those with less fur may need a winter jacket to stay warm.
Ice Skating
Ice skating was probably invented in Scandinavia as early as 1000 BCE, with the first skates being carved from bone and strapped on to shoes with straps. Steel skates did not come into vogue until the 19th century. As a classic winter activity, ice skating is a perfect activity to book for Boxing Day. With many rinks allowing children to come out onto the ice with you, as well as lounges for those who have finished to grab a hot chocolate to warm up, ice skating is the perfect family activity.
There are many pop-up ice skating rinks during the winter holidays, and they can be loads of fun to try. No matter whether you are experienced on the ice, or if you will be trying the experience for the first time, there is plenty to enjoy.
If you are considering visiting Bewl Water on Boxing Day, then please contact us here. Our staff would be delighted to discuss your plans and what you wish to do during your Boxing Day adventure.