Picnic Time!

It's that time of the year again when sunny summer days are welcomed by families who enjoy being out and about in the fresh air. As we all know that British summer weather may be unpredicatble at times it makes sense to enjoy the good weather when it's here! Picnics of course play a big part in the magic that is a family day out.

Where to Go
All you really need when looking for somewhere to enjoy a picnic is some flat ground or picnic benches. This means that there are thousands of places to go! Check out the Forestry Commission for details of their maintained forest walks and cycle routes, visit the English Heritage and National Trust websites for inspiration and of course why not explore your local area? There's bound to be some great local picnic-friendly places you may play football, throw frisbees, pick flowers, hunt for bugs, fly a kite and more.

*Top tip: If you shop at Tesco you may currently use your Clubcard vouchers as part of their Clubcard Boost scheme to buy English Heritage membership for the family, effectively visiting a number of wonderful historical sites for free!

Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire - a great day out via the Forestry Commission.

What to Eat
When it comes to picnics the sky is the limit! For really imaginiative picnic food ideas head over to Pinterest which is packed full of great ideas. For us here at Dotty Hippo HQ we go for the simple pleasures such as cold pasta, sandwiches, fruit and crisps, straw or bottle drinks (important to have plenty to drink if warm) and items such as chopped up sausages or similar.

Many find a coolbox to be quite unwieldy, especially if you plan to eat on the go rather than at the car or at a set base. The easiest way to organise a picnic on the go is to pack individual lunches that everyone, including the little ones may carry on their back and use a cool pack or similar to keep things fresh.

Outdoor Games
Hide and seek is a popular outdoor game although with very little ones may need extra monitoring! Spotting guides make for great fun for older children, especially if you are somewhere where there is a lot of wildlife. For simple fun take a ball, a frisbee, organise running races or maybe even put together a small treasure hunt for the children.

When visiting a number of outdoor attractions children are often provided with maps, worksheets, items to spot and more.

The beauty of picnics is that even when the weather lets us down and the rain pours a carpet picnic may be equally fun. Lay a blanket down, invite teddy bear friends and eat your yummy treats indoors.

Where do you like to go for your picnics? Do you have any fabulous local hideaways to share? We'd love to hear what makes the perfect picnic time for you and your family.