Get Ready for Glamping – Part 2
Welcome back to our look at things we can do now to get the most out of our glamping holidays later in the year. We last looked at identifying wild plants and habitats, so let’s turn our attention to wildlife.
An easy way of getting started is to look at and identify the birds in your garden or in a nearby park. There are lots of great resources online to print off and take with you, so you can check out exactly what type of bird you are looking at. Taking things further, you could visit a wildlife reserve and see a wider variety of species than you would at home. Going for a walk through woodland is another fantastic, free way to look for signs of animal life and while you’re unlikely to see badgers roaming about during the day, you can spot signs of badger activity and return in the evening to see if they come out of their sett.
Owl pellets (not one for the squeamish) are fascinating to look at, especially for kids with insatiable curiosity. Owls feed on small mammals, but they can’t digest the bones and fur, so they regurgitate this material in the form of a pellet. Spotting an owl pellet takes some keen eyes and time, but they’re very interesting to dissect and see if you can identify what the owl has been eating.
Looking for animal tracks in woods and fields is also great fun and can add an extra dimension to a walk – just be careful you don’t end up getting lost following a deer trail! Deer leave deep, defined tracks and are one of the easier animals to spot tracks from. It’s a good idea to print off some resources and take them with you, otherwise you might end up convinced you’ve found evidence of a big cat when it’s actually a large dog’s paw print! If you’re lucky enough to have a garden with visiting wildlife you might like to spread some sand near where your visitors enter, so you can see their tracks and which direction they go in.
One for the grown-ups only is campfire building and campfire cooking. Older children can join in with supervision, but it’s important that younger children are kept away from the fire and supervised at all times. Building a campfire is a rewarding skill, and being able to cook your (foraged) dinner over it is one of the best feelings there is. There are lots of resources online, as well as books, which teach you all about campfire building, from the species and size of the wood to the construction, as well as how to increase or decrease heat for cooking.
Campfire building is something you can practice at home with a fire pit, either a bought one which is raised off the ground, or one you dig yourself into your lawn. A fire is a nice way to socialise outdoors when we are able to meet again, so the skill of building a long lasting, warmth-emitting campfire is one that will serve you well all year round.
This lockdown has been the perfect opportunity to learn some of these skills and to get some courses booked in. It’s also the best time to check over your glamping kit and replace anything that is broken or worn out, such as lanterns, head torches and games to keep you occupied. Get your glamping list drawn up before the spring and you’ll be raring to go.
