Emma's Guest Post

Dust off your wellies and wetsuits, it’s time to hit the great outdoors! Spring is in tantalizing reach and, like Outdoors Ireland, at Ooh.com we believe that the best sort of time is that spent outdoors. So we wanted to bring you a round-up of 5 of our favourite things going on in the great outdoors around the UK.

1. Food Foraging
First up, food foraging – an increasingly fashionable outdoors pastime that’ll soon have even celebs donning their wellies and picking up their secateurs and foraging baskets.
Grub around for your grub with Caroline Davey of the brilliantly named Fat Hen. Caroline runs these 2 hour food foraging walks in West Cornwall. They’re a culinary bargain at £10 per person. Book now for their March walks. http://tinyurl.com/ylj7795

2. Surfing
As the UK waters start to think about being a little less Baltic, warm weather surfers start to dust off their wetsuits and wax up their boards. The O’Neill Surf Academy at Watergate Bay is one of the best places to surf – not only for the waves, but for fantastic tuition and a really great place to stay. Jamie Oliver opened his restaurant Fifteen there and so at the end of a day being king of the waves, you can eat like one too. The Academy offers lessons for all levels of experience. http://tinyurl.com/yh25ssk

3. Fell Running
Three days running in the Scottish Highlands isn’t for the fainthearted, but you get the chance to rest your aching joints in accommodation on the Balmoral Estate. http://tinyurl.com/ygcdhnj

4. Organic Gardening
Some swear that gardening is some of the best exercise you can get, and on this course you’ll combine exercise with learning how to eat well too. Join Alasdair Cameron at Batelease Farm and spend the day learning how to start a kitchen garden and grow organic vegetables. http://tinyurl.com/yh6ndkl

5. Woodland Crafts
Immerse yourself in the wonderful world of woodland crafts on this one day course at Westmill Farm. Learn to make a birch besom and a hurdle, tread the pole lathe or carve to your heart’s content. And to really feel you’ve had a day away from it all, help to cook a cauldron of soup over an open fire for lunch. http://tinyurl.com/yhmru5v

And finally, it goes without saying that for kayaking, climbing and guided hikes and walks in Ireland, we’d always head to Nathan at Outdoors Ireland!

Emma Drew @ www.ooh.com