May is here – hurrah! It’s a great month: the weather improves, the days get longer, and we’re given not one, but two, long weekends to boot. It’s time to start thinking about how you can squeeze the most out of them. Here are a few ideas for inspiration… because you don’t want those extra two days off work to go to waste.
1. Mini-Break It
Whether you jet off abroad or decide on a staycation this bank holiday, there’s nothing quite like packing up a suitcase and getting away from it all for a few days. If you’re staying in the UK, Cornwall has a lot going for it: gorgeous beaches, stunning scenery, mooch-worthy towns and, of course, Cornish pasties. The Eden Project is also worth a gander, with its huge biomes, inspired art sculptures, beautiful flowers and England’s longest zipwire, there’s enough to keep you entertained for days. Visit the Eden Project website here.
2. Have a Digital Detox
Turn your back on all computers, phones, TVs, tablets, games consoles and anything else ‘techy’ so you can really switch off – literally.
3.Get Back to Nature
You could just go for a walk in your local park to soak up the sights, sounds, smells and (hopefully) sunshine that being outside brings, but why not do something more memorable? On 5th May, the RSPB are organising a ‘Dawn Chorus’ guided walk at Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve in Essex. The expert tour guides will tell you what birds you’re seeing and hearing, then feed you a breakfast bap and a hot drink in the cafe afterwards. It starts at 4am (*rubs sleepy dust from eyes*), but you know what they say: the early bird catches the worm. Visit RSPB for more information.
4.Play Board Games
Gather the troops and settle in for a good old-fashioned games session. Go silly with Pie Face, intellectual with Trivial Pursuit, bendy with Twister, or all-out competitive with a Monopoly marathon.
5.Go on a Wine Adventure
France, Italy and California are all very well and good when it comes to wine, but don’t overlook what’s right on your doorstep. Indulge in a more local wine tour, with your own personal driver taking you around the lovely countryside, stopping to sample award-winning wine and nibble on delicious food at some of the UK’s top vineyards. Cheers! Check out English Wine Adventures
6.Binge
We’re not talking food or drink here. Why not indulge in back-to-back episodes of your favourite TV programme, spend all day at the cinema hopping from screen to screen, listen to podcast after podcast, or read books galore by your favourite author? Whatever you love watching/listening to/reading, do it… and then do it some more. (Obviously, your digital detox may have to go out the window!).
7.Hit a Food Festival
If you’re keen to eat, drink, shop, and discover new and unusual products, the Taste Cumbria Food Festival will certainly deliver. It’s in Ulverston on 25th and 26th May and will boast around 60 stalls in the producers’ market, with a hot-food picnic area chock-full of various dishes for you to chomp on. Is your mouth watering yet? Why not visit Tastecumbria!
8.Tick Something Off Your Bucket List
Whether it’s to do a bungee jump, paint someone’s portrait, build a treehouse, swim with dolphins, get a tattoo or, er, watch The Bucket List starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson (it might give you some ideas), there’s no time like the present.
