Farewell, bleak winter. Well, nearly. Sunlight is slowly returning to our lives as the days lengthen, but there is still a sluggish trek to the bright zing of spring. So, as we contemplate the year ahead, let's brighten the days by creating a wish list of inspiring things to see and do in 2024.
These are not onerous resolutions but enjoyable intentions. The goals can be enormous or tiny, ranging from 'Climb Ben Nevis' to 'clean walking boots'. The main thing is that at some point it has popped up as something that you'd like to achieve. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy yourself and good luck in all your adventures.
How to create your wish list
- Write down 50-100 things you would like to do this year.
- Be as clear as you can. “Climb Pen Y Fan” is more specific than “Get outdoors”.
- Feel free to put down whatever you want.
- Be honest with yourself – only put what you really want to do on the list.
To help you get started, Maria Hodson shares her own wish list ideas for the year..
Best outdoor adventure ideas
1) Walk in Wistman’s Wood, Dartmoor
This national nature reserve is famed for its ancient, gnarled oaks and fragile mosses and lichens. One of Britain's few remaining rainforests, it possesses a mysterious, bewitching atmosphere. Treat it with care, and this makes a great place for dreaming...
- Best walks in Dartmoor National Park
- Walk Wistman's Wood in Dartmoor
- Podcast: the poetry of moss in a Dartmoor rainforest
2) See the Northern Lights
Magical lights that decorate the night sky in hues of blues, red, green and purple... What’s not to love? The best places in Britain to see these enchanting spectral illuminations are Scotland, Northern England, North Wales and Northern Ireland, between October and March. So pencil in a trip to a Dark Sky reserve this year.
Where to see the Northern Lights
3) Walk part of the Pennine Way
The spine of England is excellently bleak, beautiful and remote. Our writer Mark Sutcliffe walked the route and created a wonderful guide to the Pennine Way, detailing the delights and demands of this long-distance route, and offering several day-long walks for those who would rather tackle shorter sections.
4) Have a picnic and drink in the views
This simple wish for a sunny picnic is borne of fond memories from childhood. There is something very special about a lazy picnic meal outdoors with friends or family. Former Countryfile presenter Ellie Harrison wrote beautifully about the joys of the picnics last summer. Let's make sandwiches while the sun shines.
Britain's best picnic spots
Longer summer days and warmer weather marks the start of picnic season. Unroll the blankets and dust-off the hampers, and head to one of the 20 best picnic spots in Britain
Plus, try one of these tasty picnic recipes:
5) Take a steam train ride
Tootling through woodland, hills and valleys on a vintage train with steam billowing above and besides is a lot of fun. There are many spectacular rail options out there, including the Jacobite steaming over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, a journey made world-famous by the Harry Potter films, and the Vale of Rheidol Railway in Wales.
6) Visit Portmeirion, Gwynedd
Wales’s strange Italianate village, created by the architect Clough Ellis-Williams, looks incredibly intriguing. Ellis-Williams bought a neglected mansion in the wilderness in 1925, and over the following 51 years, the extraordinary Mediterranean-style village with sub-tropical gardens came into being.
7) Walk Wainwright’s Coast-to-Coast path
Have you seen the film Downhill (2014)? It might inspire you to walk this well-known route. Or not. Either way, it's very entertaining. The coast-to-coast route itself is a beauty, devised by walking legend Arthur Wainwright - 192 miles across three national parks - the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. Most people start at St Bees in Cumbria, and finish with a dip in the North Sea at Robin's Hood Bay in North Yorkshire. Our author Vivienne Crow tackled it last year and created a handy guide to the coast-to-coast route.
8) Learn to identify five mushrooms
The British Isles are home to 15,000 species of fungi, so admittedly, identifying them all is no easy feat, but being able to name five is definitely doable. Our guide to British fungi looks at some of the most common species, including oyster mushrooms, chicken of the woods, turkey tail, giant puffball and the poisonous fly agaric. You're welcome.
9) Search for sea glass
It’s so calming to scour the seashore for these beautiful washed-up gems. Broken bottles and jars become smooth, wave-sculpted, translucent stones that catch the eye. Although I harbour dreams of one day turning these finds into jewellery, just wandering the beach and idly spotting these coloured beads is a nice exercise in mindfulness.
10) Attend a nature retreat
Nature retreats offer wonderful solace and soul-soothing time - it's a joy to get away with a like-minded group of people. The good news is that there's something for everyone, whatever floats your boat and whatever budget you're on, whether you long for surf and yoga by the sea or wild wanderings on the moors. Discover some great getaways in our guide to Britain's best nature retreats.
11) Venture to Cape Wrath
The most north-westerly point of Scotland has an epic, daunting and appealing name.
"The whole coast north to Cape Wrath is remarkable, with huge cliffs, tottering sea stacks, wave-lashed skerries, hidden coves and pebble beaches," writes our author Chris Gee in his guide to Scotland's North West Highlands. "The screaming of seabirds is a constant accompaniment. In winter, watching the grey sea crashing on the rocks, it’s easy to imagine the Viking longboats coming around Cape Wrath."
12) Read a nature book
Nature writing is running wild these days, in a good way, though it can be hard to keep up with the vast number of books coming out. Here's a round-up of great nature books to read this year.
13) Go on a mindful walk
Walk silently, peacefully, while absorbing the world around. In BBC Countryfile Magazine's series – the A to Z of mindfulness – we look at the various ways that nature and the countryside can be used to help improve physical and mental wellbeing, starting with A is for Awareness.
14) Swim in the Scilly Isles
Dip into the glittering waters of the striking Scilly Isles, lying just off the coast of Cornwall.
15) Marvel at Malham Cove, North Yorkshire
The limestone amphitheatre of Malham Cove is topped by extraordinary cobbled slabs, creating a dramatic landscape that makes a guest appearance in Harry Potter.
16) Cycle the Tarka Trail
At 180 miles, the Tarka trail is the longest rail to trail route in Britain. From Braunton, enjoy 30 miles of traffic-free cycling on a smooth path through glorious Devon landscapes. What a ride. Learn more about the Tarka Trail and four other inspiring long-distance route.
17) Visit a Dark Sky Park
Behold the beauty of a black, black sky festooned with brilliance.
18) Learn to identify five constellations
I'd like to work out what I'm actually staring at while stargazing. Thankfully, help is at hand with this stargazing guide on the best locations to stargaze in Britain, advice on star spotting, and basic stargazing equipment to get started.
19) Learn to play the ukulele (or instrument of your choosing)
It’s light and lovely to listen to; a great travelling instrument. A few of us have set up a ukulele club at work and strum-yodel our way through any songs that appeal (thankfully we rehearse in a soundproof room). But if jazz flute is more your vibe, don't let anyone stand in your way.
20) Spend the night in a bivvy bag
It’s time to try the joys of sleeping outdoors without a tent.
21) Cook a meal outdoors
Get fired up. Nothing tastes better than food cooked and eaten outside.
22) Climb Pen-y-Fan
My five-year-old son raced happily up Glastonbury Tor recently, so it would be great to test his stamina and see if he'd like to conquer his first mountain, Pen Y Fan, the highest peak in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons).
23) Canoe camp or paddleboard along the Wye
Paddle along this great winding river, stopping overnight at lovely campsites. Check out our podcast featuring a paddleboard adventure along the Wye, and our guide to wild camping by canoe.
24) Attend a summer festival
Whether it's celebrating music, literature or food, Britain is dancing with festivals over the summer months, so we can take our pick.
25) Walk under a waterfall
How cool to wander behind a wall of water, such as Sgwd Yr Eira in the Brecon Beacons.
26) See a starling murmuration
Hundreds of thousands of starlings dancing en masse in the sky at dawn or dusk is a truly exhilarating spectacle. Here are some of the best spots to see starling murmurations in Britain.
27) Make sloe gin
Collect sloes and turn them into something quaffable. I've had a batch of foraged sloes in the freezer for a long time. I want to make something of them - or finally admit defeat. Luckily, there's a recipe for the perfect sloe gin to hand.
28) Learn to identify five butterflies
These beautiful, fluttering winged insects brighten spring and summer walks. From tortoiseshell to Adonis blue and red admiral, spot the difference.
29) Travel in a camper van
Living the dream, man, living the dream.
30) Go wild swimming
Take any opportunity to get in the water, from rivers and lakes to the sea. Last year's Bradford-on-Avon slow swim was a highlight, so that's on the wishlist again this year.
31) Spot an otter
One of Britain’s most entertaining but most reclusive animals. Hopefully this is the year to spot one. See our guide to Britain’s otters: history, their return and where to see them.
32) Explore Thor's Cave
In a limestone crag in Britain's most popular national park, the Peak District, lies a vast natural cavern, named after the Norse god. Who could resist? It's popular with families - just be aware that surfaces can be slippery and there are some steep sections.
33) Eat a roast in a great country pub
One of life's little joys. The year will be a failure if this doesn’t happen.
34) Dance a jig at a ceilidh
Just jolly good fun.
35) Go on a glow-worm walk
Watch these little critters illuminate a summer night.
36) Go cider-cycling in Herefordshire
Make a pilgrimage by bike to the county’s orchards and cider farms. I used to do this regularly but it's fallen by the wayside. Time to get back in the saddle and wheel my way around those golden lanes.
37) Send a vintage postcard
Post a classic scene of a pretty village or famous landmark to a friend.
38) Have fish and chips by the sea
The classic seaside experience. Just… YES.
39) Listen to folk music in a pub
An ale, a fire and some fine music, please.
40) Learn to identify five new birds
There's more to life than pigeons.
41) Have a cream tea
The joy of this classic English treat speaks for itself. It's a must for many perusers of stately homes and grand gardens. It's a staple of National Trust cafe menus. But there's controversy here too - jam before cream or cream before jam? Don't scoff, this REALLY matters...
42) Sketch a landscape
Combine contemplation and concentration while drawing a fine view. Just let the picture do what it will - as Bob Ross insists, "we don't make mistakes, we have happy accidents".
43) Write a poem
Try channeling nature into lyrical beauty, like Mary Oliver or Wendell Berry. Our readers often send in poetry inspired by nature, so let's give it a whirl.
44) See a kingfisher
Catch that flash of blue. These beautiful birds brighten the waterways with their speedy antics. Discover where they nest and what they eat in our kingfisher guide.
45) Paddle the Norfolk Broads
There's wonderful wildlife on these waters. Check out our guide to the Norfolk Broads
46) Visit Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
Packed with forests, lochs, mountains, rivers and hills, the landscape of this accessible Scottish national park is stunning. Find out more in our guide of things to see and do in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.
47) Fly in a hot-air balloon
What a rush, to see the land so spread about beneath.
48) Learn to identify five trees
Give our big friendly giants a name. Perhaps this tree guide will help?
49) Adventure in a narrowboat
Watch the world go slowly by while navigating our canals. And maybe visit one or two waterside pubs while at it.
50) Walk the Northumberland Coast
With castles, kippers and a magnificent coast, graced with sandy beaches and lovely Lindisfarne, there's nowhere quite like Northumberland.
Track your excursions and see how many experiences you can tick off this year - and remember, there's no shame in not getting it all (or any) done, they can always roll over to another year. But we have high hopes... Keep us posted as to your intentions and adventures this year, we'd love to know what you get up to. Email us at editor@countryfile.com
