Surviving Family Walks

If you’re anything like me, Easter means two things: a sudden influx of chocolate and at least one awkward family walk. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with the family, but it takes time to build up to long walks with all of the troops, particularly if they’re not used to it.

Imagine your littlest one running off ahead, your mom and dad moving at a more leisurely pace stopping every few minutes to “enjoy the view”. Then there’s the middle child / teenager who’s somewhere in the middle of all of this in their own world, maybe with their headphones on.

With a little planning and preparation, you can survive – and even enjoy – family walks this Easter. Here’s how:

Don’t go too far

It's important to set a realistic goal for the walk taking into account everyone’s ability. If you’re a seasoned hiker, you may be used to a 10 mile walk easy. If you’ve got a friend or family member that’s a little less practiced in the great outdoors and has less miles under their belt, maybe drop that down to 3-5 miles adding in regular rest stops and even a picnic. Make it enjoyable for everyone and if you really find yourself needing to go the extra distance, as my wife once said to me… you can walk home.

Take special supplies on your hike

Make your life easy. As well as hiking essentials like water, layers and waterproofs, what about those extra little snacks that help your family walk the extra mile.

There are two things we always have stashed in our backpack for micro adventures. Firstly, a first aid kit (including Anthisan– one child always finds themselves in a bush of nettles). Secondly, a little stash of their favourite treat that we break out if the last mile home becomes a bit of a chore. Walking whilst opening the treat itself takes you another few hundred metres closer to your goal!

Controversial conversation

When family all gets together, there’s the likelihood for controversial conversation or if you’re struggling for topics to talk about and how to make your next walk more interesting, here’s a few conversation starters to get you going:

• What's your favourite spring flower?
• Do you like Easter eggs? Why or why not?
• What's your favourite thing about springtime?
• Do you have any plans for Easter weekend?
• What was your best Easter egg hunt ever?

Stop and smell the flowers

Spring is a great time for nature coming back to life after a long winter. Take your time to stop and smell the aromas around you. This helps you slow down if you have any reluctant walkers in you group or those not used to longer distances but it also refreshes your senses and gets some all important fresh air in your lungs. If you’re not sure what fauana is safe to smell or want to know what the flowers were you found, you can download the Seek app (it’s free) and through taking a picture of your subject, it identifies pretty quickly what you’re looking at.

Download the app here 

Stop, lie down, go cloud spotting

If we really are blessed with the sunshine that has been forecast, it’s a great time to go cloud spotting. Pack a blanket, find your open space, lie down, look up. It’s pretty simple but you can play a game with the whole family on who can find the best animal or maybe, just maybe, look for the easter bunny in the clouds! You never know where young imaginations will take you.