20 Welly Walking Activities 

There’s no glamour in walking the dog on a weekday. Most of the time it rains, or you might be suffering from the latest bug going around and there will always, I guarantee, be mud.

My coat pockets are stuffed with poo bags, gravy bones and weird-looking 1-year-old chew toys. I wear old jeans, baggy jumpers and weary walking boots that have seen better days and I’m secretly hoping I won’t see a living soul because I’ve yet to brush my hair (and I’m a tad anti-social). Weekday dog walks, although rewarding, are not for the faint hearted, my friends.

At the weekend, walks with Polly and the OH are much more leisurely with a few activities thrown in for good measure. So I try to make an inch more effort on the attire front, just in case there’s a chance of a pub-stop along the way…which there frequently is in our house.

This weekend, Joules encouraged us to don our wellies for the first time this season for a welly walk. The brand have teamed up with Nature Trails in creating some of the best welly wearing walks across the country encouraging folk to get out into the great outdoors and embrace all weathers. Plus you can enter to win a £150 Joules gift card by simply wearing your Joules wellies on your next walk, taking a snap and uploading it to the Joules Facebook Page. But hurry, the closing date for entries is 30th October 2016!

If you need any more outdoorsy motivation here’s my top 20 welly wearing walking activities to do on your own, with the kids, dogs, family and friends.

1| Go on a leaf hunt

2| Record sounds. Listen for the rustling of the trees, birds singing and the crunching of leaves

3| Pick your own pumpkin at a local farm

4| Storytelling. Tell a story with the kids in the woods

5| Unplug. Use the time to do nothing but walk and switch off entirely (leave your phone at home or turn it on silent)

6| Take a flask of hot chocolate and share with a good friend

7| Take time to draw or write ideas in your notebook

8| Seek our brooks and stepping-stones and play in the water

9| Take photographs of the same place during different seasons

10| Forage foliage and treasures for seasonal home displays

Black Rose Gold Rain Jacket & Mens Ankle Wellies c/o Joules | Matt Red Wellies (old – similar here) | Denim Skirt via ASOS | Black Jumper via New Look

11| Take a family photograph in the woods

12| Walk and balance on logs

13| Bring an indulgent picnic with you

14| Get a bunch of your favourite people together for a big walk finishing at the pub for a Sunday roast

15| Go on a colour photo walk. Give kids a disposable camera and ask them to seek colour!

16| Get dirty. Spend most of your week in an office? Seek mud and don’t be afraid to get dirty.

17| Play new games with the dog or practice new tricks. If you’ve got a young dog like us it’s great to train outdoors to get them used to ignoring distractions…we’re still working on this!

18| Go for a welly walk in the city.  It’s not only the countryside that can offer up adventurous delights. Don some colourful wellies and seek culture.

19| Stay close to home and make an insect hotel in your garden

20| Take the family to an animal farm that is open to the public.