Christmas: Boxing day walks

Cheek-chilling walks, daredevil dips or a day at the races, turn to page 74 of December’s The Simple Things for plenty of energetic ideas to persuade you from your sofa to make a day of it on the 26th

Read on for three Boxing Day walks with a twist.

Go with a guide

Joining a guided walking tour can bring a whole new dimension to your country ramble or parkland stroll. Check out the National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk). Hinton Ampner in Hampshire,
is holding a four-mile tour around the estate led by the head gardener; at Bodiam Castle in East Sussex a guided walk also offers an exclusive preview of the castle interiors followed by a breakfast bap.

Take to the streets

Explore the urban landscape on your doorstep. You may think you’ve seen it all before, but have you? Stop to read plaques and signs, take the turns you usually pass by, and discover a new-found love for those familiar streets (see our feature on urban walks in October 2016, issue 52).

Set up a treasure hunt

It’s just not Christmas without a quiz. Add a bit of fun and healthy competition to your festive walk by setting up a Christmas- themed treasure hunt. The prize? The last of the mince
pies of course! 

More from the December issue:

More Christmas posts:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

The Festival of Thrift: Meet Gerardine and Wayne Hemingway

From catwalk fashion to social housing, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway have packed in a lot. The Simple Things chatted to them about their latest venture, the Festival of Thrift.

Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway know a thing or two about thrift. As we sit in their office in Wembley, surrounded by busy staff and sleepy dogs, the space’s previous incarnation as the family home is still obvious – we are sitting at what was once their dining table.

The Hemingways are best known for the business they built in the early 80s – the hugely influential fashion label Red or Dead – but today we are talking about their big project this autumn, the Festival of Thrift.

The Darlington-based festival is now in its second year. As with many projects that Hemingway Design gets involved in, the idea came from a recommendation. A friend suggested they check out an old wool factory in Darlington that had been reinvented as office space for start-ups. Lingfield Point, they were told, would be right up their street.

“It was one of the best examples of large-scale upcycling we had seen,” says Wayne. “It gave the building a new, modern purpose, and we felt that was great.” And so a venue for the first Festival of Thrift was found.

“The concept of upcycling was familiar,” says Wayne, “but no one had celebrated it in a place that represented upcycling on a macro scale.” The festival featured local start-ups, demonstrations and workshops based on making-do creatively and reviving forgotten skills. It drew 27,000 visitors, largely by word of mouth.

“It showed how keen people were to come and learn new skills. Everybody was on their phones saying, ‘You’ve got to get down to this’, so as the day went on, people flooded in.”

The Festival of Thrift 2014

The Festival of Thrift, Darlington, 27th and 28th Sept. Free entry. www.festivalofthrift.co.uk. The Hemingways are also behind The Vintage Festival at the Midland Hotel, Morecambe, 6–7th Sept, www.vintagefestival.co.uk

Read the rest of the interview on page 32 of September's The Simple Things. Buy or download your copy now.

Museums at Night

Today sees the launch of Museums at Night, Culture24's festival of inspiring after hours cultural events at museums, galleries and heritage sites (Thursday May 15 - Saturday May 17 2014)Don't miss this festival which takes place over 15-17 May when hundreds of galleries, museums and historical places open their doors late for special events.

For the grown ups:

Follow New York photographer Spencer Tunick's travels from New Jersey to Folkestone through his series of pictures of naked people taken in well-known locations, to be viewed as miniature key-chain viewfinders at Georges House Gallery, Folkstone.

Join in the celebrations of ten years of the cult comic artwork Modern Toss with lots of opportunities for gratuitous effing and blinding at The Herbert Museum and Gallery in Coventry and The Horniman Museum in London. Plus, look out for a great travelling exhibition of their work that is aptly displayed in the loos of three major galleries.

For the kids:

Meet ceramicist Grayson Perry for a teddy bear-themed event, including picnic and storytelling at York's Yorkshire Museum.

Enjoy an evening of magic and illusion at The Great North Museum in Newcastle as part of the V&A Museum of Childhood's touring exhibition Magic Worlds.

Sleep over at Kensington Palace and become a prince or princess for the night at this regal slumber party. Or spend the night at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (16 May) and play giant battleships and laser quest, before watching a movie and bedding down in the Action Stations building.

For full listings and more details, visit www.museumsatnight.org.uk

Don't miss: National Craft Bakers' Week

National Craft Bakers’ Week 7-13th October 2013 Bakers from across the country are coming together this October to tempt people into their bakeries to support National Craft Bakers’ Week. A range of fabulous bread, cakes and pies will be available for people to try and buy, with promotions and events taking place around the country during the week.

National Craft Bakers’ Week is organised on behalf of hundreds of craft bakers across the UK who form a key part of the British high street. It aims to encourage support for bakeries from local communities and highlight the variety of produce made by these skilled craftspeople every day. The campaign is supported by TV baking stars Tom and Henry Herbert, the Fabulous Baker Brothers, who run Hobbs House Bakery in the Cotswolds at Chipping Sodbury. Tom and Henry are passionate about getting the public to support craft bakers: “There is rightly a great feeling of pride about British food at the moment and National Craft Bakers’ Week is a great way to remind everyone that bakers are very much part of this story,” says Henry. “Baking is a real skill and one that we need to celebrate and support. It can take years to learn the craft as there are so many techniques to master, from traditional bread making and caring for a sour dough culture through to icing cakes. So please show some love for your local baker by visiting them this October – it will be worth it!”

National Craft Bakers’ Week supports the Teenage Cancer Trust and bakers will be fundraising on behalf of the charity. For more, visit www.craftbakersweek.co.uk.

Put needle to groove: Record Store Day 2013

"Is it wrong, wanting to be at home with your record collection?' No Nick Hornby it's not, unless that means missing Record Store Day on the 20th April.

What is it we all love about vinyl? The sound quality, the cover art, the nostalgia? Or simply the pleasure of watching that record spin and when the time comes to flip it over. The experience is so important, and an integral part of that is the ritualistic visit to your favourite record shop. The original idea for Record Store Day came about in 2007  as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding  independently owned record stores. On this day stores around the world come together with musicians to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day, and hundreds of artists across the globe make special appearances and performances. “Record Store Day is a welcome reminder of the quirkiness, the passion and the individuality of the indie record shop.” Spencer Hickman To celebrate this year over 450 limited edition records will hit the shelves of independent shops across the UK on Saturday including music from the likes of David Bowie, Pulp, Paul Weller and Nick Cave. As well as this, many local shops will be hosting special events and live performances over the weekend. Click here for the list of participating shops and events in your area and support your local record store.

"It’s great to do a record that’s released specifically for Record Store Day. There's so few record shops left that we should all treasure those remaining." Hear! Hear! Paul Weller.

Click here for more photography by Stephen Van Es