Top ideas

They’re innocent, unsophisticated pastimes - an antidote to the super-sophisticated electronic world we inhabit in our ordinary lives - and all the better for that. So here are a few simple pleasures to give you inspiration. Enjoy!

Star-gazing

Star-gazing has the power to transport you to another world. But you can only see the full majesty of the Milky Way in the inky-dark of the country. Find a hilltop in the Yorkshire Dales, lie back and wait for the greatest light show on earth.

Swimming in a lake

For an exuberant feeling of freedom, try swimming in a lake. England’s countryside is dotted with quiet pools and lakes, and a good place to start is Lake Windermere with its vast expanse of clean, calm, secluded water.

Leaping over sand dunes

Leaping over sand dunes is just great fun. Find a deserted beach with dunes, take a deep breath and launch yourself into the air. And let the mattress of grasses cushion your fall as you cascade safely down to the sands. Irresistible.

Fossil hunting

Uncovering a fossil is always a thrill, and you can spend many happy hours fossil hunting in one of England’s Jurassic coastlines. Yorkshire’s Heritage Coast is especially rich in them, and you can even spot dinosaur footprints if you’re lucky.

Rowing a boat

Taking a rowing boat out onto the Norfolk Broads, exploring an island and playing Swallows and Amazons is a blissful way to spend a summer’s afternoon. Think of it as natural aqua therapy.

Read a novel

A wild meadow beside a valley stream in the Cotswolds is the perfect place to snuggle down on a blanket and read that novel you’ve been saving for ages. Take a flask of coffee and a bag of cakes for company.

Peat bog hopping

Peat bog hopping is another old favourite in the Peak District. Wait for the first fine spell of weather after a period of rain, and head off into the hills. When the peat is just slightly damp, it acts like a spring when you jump from the bog edge. 

Skimming stones

It may well be genetic, but kids and grown men just can’t help skimming stones along rivers. Choose a round, flat pebble, hold it flat-wise between your thumb and forefinger and throw it with a sharp flick of your wrist to send it spinning along the surface of the water.

Fish and chips on the sea front

Food doesn’t come any more tempting than a bag of fish and chips on the sea front. Piping hot, utterly delicious, and always best devoured out of newspaper.

A pint and a ploughman’s lunch

Or if we’re talking food, how about savouring a pint and a ploughman’s lunch in a canalside beer garden overlooking a lock? Let the sun warm your back as you tuck in, and watch the colourful narrow boats glide by. Heaven. 

Ice cream straight from the dairy

There’s something extra special about enjoying food in the very place it was made. So visit a farm and get yourself an ice cream straight from the dairy. You can even feed the tip of the cornet to the donkey.

BBQ on a beach

If there’s a group of you and you fancy a truly spectacular meal out, try a BBQ on a beach. It’s the perfect communal feast and the most relaxed eating you’ll ever experience.

Exploring rock pools

Exploring rock pools is one of those simple pleasures that never ceases to delight. That’s because you just never know what you’re about to discover – a tiny chalk-white crab, a silver spry, maybe even a jellyfish or two.  

Beach cricket

Beach cricket is more than a game for the boys – it’s a family thing. Grannies, mums, sisters, uncles and aunts all join the granddads, dads and boys for a magical hour or so. Just find a quiet spot with firm sand, pitch the stumps and it’s game on.

Tobogganing

Tobogganing down snowy hills in the Yorkshire Pennines in winter, or sliding down grassy banks on sheets of cardboard in the summer. It’s the best white-knuckle ride there is – and there are no hour-long queues.

Hopping over stepping stones

Hopping over stepping stones across a slow-flowing river such as the River Dove in Dovedale, Derbyshire. It’s amazing how people of all ages feel attracted to crossing rivers with a hop, a skip and a step.