WINDY SEASON OutdOors

Days out in the beautiful English countryside have their unique rewards whatever the season and perhaps one of the greatest gifts of this time of year is the wind. Don’t get me wrong, winter is of course the windiest season – but I’m talking about what I’d describe to the children as ‘nice wind’. As we enter the spring months of the year, the sun's angle relative to the surface of the earth increases, allowing more direct exposure to the ground causing warm air to rise. When this warm air rises, air rushes in to 'fill' in where it left, causing greater surface winds.

Here are some ideas for easy ways to enjoy the spring breezes:

Plan ahead. There are loads of powerful weather apps that can give us more accurate forecasts than previous generations could ever dream of. As someone that lives outdoors as much as humanly possible, I love poring over weather conditions to make sure I’m ready for anything.

Camp out. Even if only on your back lawn – there’s something about a night wind flapping a tent that can absolutely hypnotise you for the best night’s sleep ever.

Fly a kite. Watch out for power lines, of course! But at parks or beaches, this is an activity that even the tiniest children can enjoy once they get the hang of it. Even in some of Cheshire’s busiest suburbs, there’s still open parklands with enough space to get aloft.

Sail a toy boat. This was one of my favourite holiday games as a kid: racing a cheap wooden sailboat across the boating lakes that can be found at most seaside towns. A lovely one within day tripping distance is at Southport in Merseyside.

Tire them out. It’s a fact that windy days make children particularly energetic, so challenge them to chase bubbles, dandelion clocks or just each other. Perhaps it’s the exhilaration of running extra fast with the wind at your back, but it’s infectious.

Cloud watching. Observe the clouds moving across the sky. This is a great activity to promote mindfulness and really concentrate on one thing, paying attention to details that normally go unnoticed – the speed, shape and diversity of the clouds as they cross your field of vision.

Layer up Of course, we northerners are straight into our shorts at the first sign of sun, but sun plus wind can still equal hypothermia if you’re really out in the wilds and not properly prepared.

Leave no trace. A principle that every outdoor enthusiast must share, it’s particularly challenging when the wind is up. It’s great to recycle plastic or paper into windmills, sailboats, kites or windsocks – but it’s also all too easy for your handiwork to be whipped away to who knows where.

By Oliver Chesher