Hot hot hot! That’s what we expect in August, and even in the UK we sometimes get it! Here’s my top 3 outdoor activities, that just all happen to make beautiful pictures too!
Get wet
When it’s hot there is nothing better than splashing in water to cool the kids down. It’s up to you if you join in or just observe from the sidelines. So either get out the garden hose and the paddling pool, or visit one of the splash pads and pools around west London. Here’s my list of locations worth a visit. Get there early in the day to avoid the crowds!
- Ruislip Lido has a great free splash pad. More details about Ruislip lido in my blog.
- Cassiobury Park, Watford has just reopened it’s newly refurbished 3 paddling pools.
- Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Centre, Uxbridge opens its outdoor lido pool in the summer, including the shallow heated children’s pools.
Watch Butterflies grow
A great education activity to teach the kids about the butterfly life cycle, and you get these beautiful butterflies to release at the end.
- To collect your own caterpillars the National Trust have a guide – you must make sure you feed it the right kind of plants.
- The butterfly kit from Insect Lore has been very successful for us – the small caterpillars come with all the food they need, a net container for butterflies and instructions.
Lavender fields
Lavender may make you think of the south of france, but there are lavender farms near london too that you can visit for a small fee. It’s a beautiful location to just wander, and you’ll see plenty of insect life. There are bees, but they find the lavender much more attractive than you so are unlikely to bother you. Butterflies are also frequent visitors.
Hitchin Lavender , Hitchin – you can visit the Lavender field and pick a bag of lavender and picnic there, they also have a cafe and shop of their lavender products.
Mayfield Lavender Farm, Banstead – you can visit the Lavender field and they also have a shop and cafe though picnics and lavender picking are not allowed.
Enjoy your Summer!
