Get outdoors

Enjoy the great outdoors with the children! There is always something different to see, and it’s happy, healthy time spent together. Here are a few local suggestions of outdoor places to visit.

National Trust walks

Greys Court, Rotherfield Greys, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 4PG, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greyscourt/features/explore-the-estateat-greys-court This is a National Trust property with a two-mile walk in its grounds.

The walk is easily followed as it’s waymarked by red arrows. You can ask at visitor reception where to start. You’ll walk through woodland with beech leaves clinging on to branches, ancient gnarled oaks and cherry trees. Look out for veteran trees with broken branches and holes where birds, squirrels and dormice might be nesting.

You’ll walk rolling Chiltern hills with restful views and farmland with grazing animals, so please keep dogs on leads. Head back to Greys Court for a hot chocolate or lunch in the Cow Shed tea room.

Simons Wood, Finchampstead, Wokingham, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/runnyme de/trails/simons-wood-centenarywalk-at-runnymede This is a 1.3-mile walk along welldefined paths, which are suitable for buggies. The walk winds through tall trees that feel like a big exciting forest to children, with the reassurance to parents of wide paths and a well way-marked route. The green trail arrows lead you through to Heath Pool, a big pond covered with lily pads and a small island in the middle colonised by ducks and geese.

There’s a boardwalk over an area of lowland heath – an important habitat where you might hear nightjars or Dartford warblers.

Basildon Park, Lower Basildon, Reading, RG8 9NR, www.nationaltrust.org/basildonpark This is a traditional country house with extensive parkland. It has four, well-marked trails, ranging from 0.5 to 3 miles in length, along easy terrain.

As you weave in and out of the woodland on the parkland walks at Basildon Park, you get regular views back to the elegant Palladian façade of the house. You can get a decent walk in the 400 acres of parkland, but genuinely feel like you’re strolling in the grounds.

Lardon Chase (National Trust car park): Grid reference SU583806, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/basildon -park/trails/streatleys-chalkgrasslands-and-countryside-trail

This is quite a challenging 7-mile walk with beautiful views over Streatley and the Goring Gap. It takes in three adjacent areas of National Trust land: Lardon Chase, the Holies and Lough Down.

Parts of the area were once used as a motorbike scrambling course, but the habitat has gradually been restored, and now it forms one of the largest remaining areas of chalk grassland in the country.

Geocaching www.geocaching.com

Have you tried this yet? The geocaching website calls this activity “the world’s largest treasure hunt”, discovering hidden caches in all sorts of weird and wonderful spots, using GPS. It really adds a sense of purpose and extra excitement to a walk, and it can become quite addictive trying to find the hidden “treasure” wherever you go.

You can start with a free account to get a feel for geocaching and to see if it suits you.

The Packhorse

Woodcote Road, Chazey Heath, Mapledurham, Reading, RG4 7UD www.alltrails.com/trail/england/oxfordshire/the-packhorse-and-chazeyheath-walk

If you fancy a walk which finishes at a family-friendly pub, this is a nice one to try. It is 3.3 miles long so only suitable for children that can walk that far.

It is a circular walk, starting from the Packhorse pub, which has a large car park.

The walking route performs a simple loop around this southern section of the Chilterns Area of Natural Beauty, including a short stretch of the Chiltern Way, with chance to enjoy small belts of woodland, open fields and village lanes. My children and I recently explored this little wooded area in the midst of an urban setting and found some friendly giants in it!

Ideal for younger children (aged 37), the trail takes you around Tarman’s Copse to discover the green giants and explorer discs (we missed a few!) You can then continue on to the trail in Wykery Copse, along a boardwalk through the woods, where you might see some trolls!

It's a nice, short walk for younger children (with easy paths for pushchairs if necessary), and the carved giants are lovely. When we’d finished, there was also a playground nearby to try!

Curious About local trails

Curious About Henley-onThames, www.curiousabout.co.uk/henleyo nthames Starts: St Mary's Church, Hart Street, Henley on Thames, RG9 2AT (Until 26th March 2022) Curious About Reading, www.curiousabout.co.uk/reading Starts: Riverside Museum, Blake's Lock, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 3DH (Until 26th March 2022) Have fun (re-)discovering Henleyon-Thames or Reading, spotting things you've never noticed before, with two quirky treasure hunt style heritage walks - a safe, fun and affordable way to get some fresh air with your household, whilst staying close to home. Curious About Henley and Curious About Reading visit not just the obvious places, but some unusual ones too, with hidden treasures to discover.

Suitable for all ages, the walks take 1-2 hours each and are wheelchair and buggy friendly. Each 16 page booklet contains two walks, a brief history of Henley or Reading, a detailed map with two walking routes marked on, and a series of directions and clues (hints as to where to find the answer, and the answers can be found towards the end of the booklet). You'll also find ideas for things to see on the way, pictures to identify and some interesting snippets about the people and events that have shaped Henley or Reading. Jennett’s Park, Bracknell, www.juliamorrisonphotography.co.uk/green-giant-trail

Spring Events at the Nature Discovery Centre

Muddy Lane, Lower Way, Thatcham, RG19 3FU

Join us for family fun this spring at the NDC! Grab your wellies and visit us over the school holidays for some Easter-themed activities. Take part in our Easter family trail and see if you can reunite mother fox with her missing fox cubs.

We also offer popular monthly sessions such as Nature Tots (18mo-4 years), Young Rangers (8-12) and Teen Rangers (13-17), so there’s something for everyone. Check out our website for upcoming dates.

Pre-booking required for all events, visit bbowt.org.uk/events for more info or to book.

Photo credits: Laura Parker Ben Vanheems (R) (L) and