The Great Outdoors

If this year has taught us anything, it has been to appreciate the outdoors so much more. To be honest we were not much of an outdoorsy family before this year. We preferred going to places that were inside but now we seem to be the total opposite. We have discovered so many beautiful places the last few months and most of them have been right on our doorstep! I thought I would share some of them with you.

Kettlebrook Nature Reserve

I have lived in Tamworth my whole life and never even knew this place existed! I was told about it by a friend so took the girls up to have a little look. I couldn't believe how big it was and what a lovely place people have made it. There is a fairy forest where everyone makes items to hang in the trees, there are lots of paths to walk along and a stream running through. It is really beautiful and a lovely place to take a picnic and a ball.

Tame Meadow Estate Nature Reserve

This is another lovely local nature reserve. Another friend of mine suggested this one and I didn't know about this either. I must drive around Tamworth with my eyes closed haha. There is another lovely fairy garden here which is full of children's creations and through the forest leads out to a weir. You can cross the bridge over the weir into huge fields which sometimes have cows wandering about. They are really used to people and so are not phased by you walking through. It really is beautiful, especially on a sunny day.

Brueton Park - Solihull

My husband actually suggested this park as he went to school out that way for many years. I had only ever visited the Touchwood Shopping Centre and so I wasn't aware there was such a lovely big park there. There really is a lot of park to walk around. There are loads of trees, lots of grass areas for playing on, bridges to cross, lots of water and even shallow areas for the kids to get in and have a little splash about. It's quite close to the main shopping area so not too far away from toilets and food places. All in all we had a lovely few hours out there, definitely recommend!

Moira Furnace

What a beautiful FREE day out! So easy to get to and such a lovely place. There is a lovely wooded area to walk around which houses a small kids park. There are also a lot of grassy areas to sit. There is a wild meadow butterfly bank which is in full bloom during Spring. It is so pretty. There is the museum there which I think may have reopened now since Covid restrictions have eased a little but it was closed when we visited. Behind all of that is the canal. There are a couple of locks along the way and a couple of bridges to have a little wander over too. It is a great place to take kids bikes or even just walk around.

Birches Valley

I love it here! It does get quite busy during weekends and holidays but once you are parked, it is big enough to space out really well from other people. There is a lot of woodland, with tons and tons of trees to walk around. There are lovely den building points where children can make stick dens. There is also the Gruffalo walk, where you walk around looking for all of the clues to find the Gruffalo! Beware, he's hiding somewhere in the woods!

There is a cafe on the site and toilets and it is just a really lovely outdoor place to take an adventure. Walking, scooters, bikes, you could just do everything. There is a massive children's playground there near the carparks also. I think they also have an aerial assault course there too if you're feeling really brave.

Wells-next-the-Sea

We wanted to visit a lovely beach that was not Wales and not too far away. After lots of Google research I found a recommended beach over in Norfolk called 'Wells-next-the-Sea.' I had never heard of it before but after seeing lots of photos I thought it looked really nice and big enough that we could distance safely from other beach visitors. We packed a coolbox and left home nice and early to beat all the summer holidays traffic. The drive over was beautiful, full of farm land growing lots of crops and no motorways. Although parking was not ideal when we got there (full carparks) we did find a space along the high street to park in. This resulted in a 20 minute walk along the harbour to reach the beach but it was so worth it once we got there. We had an amazing, albeit very windy, day. The girls loved playing in the sea and building sandcastles and we had lots of sunshine. A short walk up some steps lead to the toilets block and some small shops - as well as an ice cream van! It was a really clean, well kept beach with lifeguards on duty and beautiful beach huts all lining the back of the beach. We will definitely go back again next year. Oh, and before we left, we sat and ate fish and chips overlooking the harbour, it was heaven!!! Best chips ever!

National Memorial Arboretum

Even though this is a short distance from our home, we had just never thought to visit. We decided to book a visit online one weekend and go and take a look around. Wow! It really is amazing. So many wonderful memorials to see which makes you realise just how many people have sacrificed everything for us. Honestly, I felt a little choked walking around and seeing them all. The girls loved it there too. They especially loved 'The Stickman Walk!' It isn't too big but it was big enough to keep them engaged and looking for the clues on their sheets. There is a small kids park there and a restaurant and gift shop on site, too. It is definitely worth a visit and was literally a few pounds to book online, just for the carpark fee.

Fradley Junction

One weekend, we went to stay over at my in-law's lovely home in Alrewas. It is situated right on a canal and is so idyllic. We decided to take a walk up the canal to Fradley Junction as we had never been there before. It is so lovely there. There is plenty of carpark for cars to visit there if you travel up by car. We sat at the outdoor seating and the girls enjoyed an icecream overlooking the canal. We then found a lovely nature reserve around a huge lake just across the opposite side of the canal to the cafe area. It was really pretty and so nice to walk around. Definitely a nice couple of hours out and I'm sure there would be more lovely spots to see if you carried on walking along the canal.

I love to find new places to explore so if you have any suggestions please do drop me a message through my contact page linked below as I would love to hear from you. Being outdoors is so good for not only your physical wellbeing but also your mental health. Honestly, I don't think I have ever felt so fully healthy as I do now and I know a lot of it is down to being in places like this with my favourite people.