Outing | Visit a Glasshouse

If you’re hankering to get out for a bit of lush greenery and a good blast of warm air, get thee to a glasshouse.

Glasshouses arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries as explorers began to bring back tropical plants. Of course, it was the Victorians who brought them to the middle-class masses, with their distinctive architecture, which you can still admire today in the palm houses of botanic gardens such as Kew and Belfast.

Dress for the environment with layers you can remove in the heat and take a bottle of water, too. If you want to make a day of it, modern versions, like the Eden Project, let you lose yourself in steamy walkways for hours. Smaller ones, like Sheffield’s Winter Garden, allow you to pop in from the grey February streets for a blast of tropical warmth.

You might see bananas, bromeliads and palms. Darwin’s Down House in Kent is home to a magnificent collection of carnivorous Sundews. Maybe you’ll be inspired to build your own small glasshouse or tiny terrarium when you get home.

This outing idea is taken from our February Almanac pages where we offer ideas for things to note and notice, plan and do each month.

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Tips | Tidal Treasure-Hunting

Winter, particularly after a bit of wild weather, is a great time explore your nearest tideline. When the sea bed has been stirred up, all sorts of treasures are washed up for you to explore, from sea urchins and sea glass to garnets and even coconuts from far shores. Here’s how to make the most of a coastal winter treasure hunt.

Check tide times: The ideal time to visit is 2–3 hours before low tide. The lowest tides, when more of the beach is exposed, coincide with the new and full moon.

Be prepared: Wrap up warm and bring waterproofs. Carry zip-lock bags for your finds – and bacterial hand gel!

Be responsible: Collect natural things sparingly as they provide food and shelter for seashore creatures. There are restrictions on removing pebbles as these prevent coastal erosion.

Give something back: Pick up pieces of plastic on your visit.

Stay safe: Always check the weather forecast. Keep clear of cliffs. Don’t touch jellyfish, as they can sting even when dead.

Thes tidal treasure-hunting tips are taken from our feature, ‘Tidal Treasures’ by Vanessa Wright, in our January issue. Pick up a copy from shops or our online store to read more about exploring your nearest tideline this winter.

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November | Things to Appreciate

A few things to see this month, and a thing to do, too

They say it’s not about where you go; it’s about the journey. A day out spent on a train is very much in that spirit. There’s something a bit romantic about a train journey, whether you do it alone or take a friend along for the ride. All you need is some good scenery, a travel board game (we favour Travel Scrabble) or a book and a train picnic. And we’re talking a Proper Picnic, here. Hamper, flask of tea, cake, sausage rolls, the lot. Perhaps leave the hard-boiled eggs at home for the sake of your fellow passengers, though.

A steam train journey brings instant atmosphere, with the sound of whistles, heavy carriage doors slamming and the smell of the coal. Almost wherever you are in the country there will be a steam railway near you, from the Bluebell Railway in West Sussex to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. But you don’t have to step back in time to enjoy a scenic rail route. Londonderry to Coleraine is arguably one of the prettiest train journeys in the UK, with fabulous sea views. An equally lovely coastal trip is the newly reopened Exeter to Dawlish line. Find a scenic rail route near you, but make sure you leave just enough time for tea and a scone in the station café at the other end before the whistle blows for the return leg. 

This idea for a day out was featured on our Almanac Pages, where each month we collate a few seasonal things to note and notice, plan and do. The nature table image above was taken by Alice Tatham of The Wildwood Moth who takes a photograph for our back cover each month, featuring things to appreciate in nature. She also runs workshops on seasonal photography and publishes seasonal journal stories from her home in Dorset.

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Outing | Railway Rambles

Old railway lines are accessible, easy to follow and a pleasure to roam

The UK has more than 4,000 miles of ex railway lines, criss-crossing the country, that are there to be used by walkers. Most came about as a result of the Beeching Report in 1963, which closed down swathes of the rail network. Many of the routes eventually were reclaimed for public use by walkers and cyclists and remain so to this day. 

Railway routes are wonderful for walking on. They’re largely straight, often smooth and raised up a little, so they drain well, meaning no muddy boots. Because they’re such easy terrain, they’re accessible to all, regardless of age or ability. They’re also easy to navigate and hard to get lost on so you don’t even need to take a map. Next time you’re thinking of a good walk, maybe consider a railway ramble instead. Here are a few spots around the country where you can do just that. 

The Camel Trail, Cornwall

This railway once ran between Padstow and Wendfordbridge along the Camel Estuary and was used to transport sand from the estuary to inland farms. It’s great for bird watchers and passes through beautiful countryside. Poet John Betjeman called it “the most beautiful railway journey I know” and it’s still pretty lovely today. 

Parkland Walk, London

This path was once the Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace rail route and passes through the former Crouch End station (pictured above). It has wonderful views over London from the top of the hill at Ally Pally. 

The Mawddach Trail, Wales

Following the southern edge of the Mawddach estuary, this route runs from Barmouth to Dolgellau through Snowdonia National Park. One of the most accessible railway rambles, it’s largely wheelchair friendly - you can also hire a ‘tramper’ - and the North Wales Society for the Blind has produced a free audio guide to download that accompanies the trail. 

Innocent Railway Path, Scotland

Running from Newington, under Holyrood Park out to Brunstane. A highlight of the path is the 517 metre Innocent Tunnel, one of the UK’s oldest railway tunnels and pleasingly eerie!

Monsal Trail, The Peak District

One of the newer railway walks, this stretch from Buxton to Bakewell was only rescued in 1981 and some of the amazing 400-metre tunnels have only been reopened in the last decades, so there’s novelty factor to this stretch of railway. It also has some amazing views to enjoy. Don’t miss the cafe in the old station ticket office at Millers Dale.

Find more railway routes to walk on the OS website.

The picture above is of the abandoned platform along Parkland Walk in London. It’s part of our feature all about nature reserves in the May issue of The Simple Things, which is on sale now. 
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How To | Have a Secret Day Off

A day off just to yourself is the best secret. Disappear for a day, Agatha Christie style, and recharge your batteries. Here’s how…

Book a day off, pack up a lunch, turn off your phone, and disappear somewhere nobody knows you! (It’s a good plan to leave a secret envelope and alert a loved one to your vanishing just in case but otherwise, jump on a bus or train and enjoy nobody knowing where you are for a few hours. 

Before you book trains or make plans though, decide what you want from the day. We’ve come up with a few ideas to get you going. 

In need of a bit of culture?

Head to a city with a gallery or museum you’ve never been to. If you’re in the north, Edinburgh, Oxford, York and Glasgow are good options for cities with galleries and plenty of culture. Brighton, Bristol and St Ives are good if you’re a touch further south, 

For a quirky museum, try the dog collar museum in Leeds, the pencil museum in Keswick, or the Flea Collection (viewable only through a microscope)at Tring Natural History Museum. 

In search of adventure?

Climb a hill! Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons is a nice easy hill to climb if you’re a beginner. Yes Tor in Dartmoor or Cat Bells in the Lake District are also good choices for a ‘do in a day’ mountain hike. Just pack plenty of water, snacks, warm and waterproof layers and maps. And this is one to disclose to a loved one, maybe. You don’t want Mountain Rescue being called out for nothing. 

Fancy lunch alone?

Pop a good book in your bag, do some menu perusing and find an eatery where you can relax alone over several courses, not feel silly and - crucially - not have to make pointless small talk. Here are a few ideas that are perfect for a date with me, myself and I:

Asian restaurants where the kitchen is on view give you plenty to look at without feeling silly for being alone. From Wagamamas to Shoryu Ramen, Japanese street food was made for eating alone. If you don’t fancy watching the chefs at work, why not go for a restaurant with a view. Anywhere on the water is a good bet - there the scenery is always changing. We like Hix Oyster and Fish House at Lyme Regis, or the River Exe Cafe in Devon, but you might find the most humble of pizzerias or cafes on the banks of a river anywhere. 

Do a secret event 

It might be a non-league football match (or even a big league team you’ve followed). Or how about seeing a favourite band in concert, a premier for a film or exhibition or the recording of a TV show you love? Or even the opening of the Chelsea Flower Show? Whatever it is you fancy doing, do your research and then book your day off around it. Bonus points if you appear on the big screen in your sunglasses and hat disguise!

Hide in nature for a day

Drive or take a train to a wood or planned walk with amazing views. Visit a beach with great sunsets with a Thermos of soup. Or simply find a path through fields that will allow you a pleasant walk, plenty of fresh air and lots of peace and birdsong. Try The ORdnance Survey’s Get Outside app https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/app/ for more ideas and to plan a walk. 

Looking for nostalgia?

Why not visit somewhere you’ve been before? It might be your home town if you’ve since moved away (and can rely on your playgroup teacher not spotting you and squeezing your cheeks) or it could be the location of a childhood holiday or a first holiday with a new partner. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of turning each corner and saying to yourself “Oh! That’s just how I remember it!”

Feeling spontaneous?

There’s lots of fun to be had in simply sticking a pin in a map or a train route planner and Just Going. You could make it fun by picking a page number of the A-Z and just going there, or deciding to visit somewhere with a rude name, or a castle or a beach that you’ve never been to. The best part is never telling anyone you went there. 

We were inspired to plan a Secret Day Off by our feature How Hard Can It Be to take a Secret Day Off in our September issue.  Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Outing | Nights at the Museum

Ever fancied getting ‘accidentally’ locked in the museum after hours? Now could be your chance

A sleepover is always exciting, but the idea of camping out underneath dinosaur bones, or among dusty artefacts thousands of years old, is the stuff nights away dreams are made of. The good news is that lots of the UK’s museums are encouraging us to do just that. The even <better> news is that this isn’t just for kids; adults are more than welcome st many of them, too. Dust off your sleeping bag and torch - the museums are waiting for you…

Dino Snores, The Natural History Museum, London

Dino Snores, in which you set up camp in one of NHM’s iconic galleries for the night and take part in a raft of activities, before settling down to sleep at midnight, is probably the most famous of the museum sleepovers. The one snag is that you have to source a child to take with you in order to attend. But breakfast is included and it sounds amazing. What price, getting to sleep under a blue whale. Plus, there are occasional Dino Snores for Grown Ups events, too - no kids required!

nhm.ac.uk/events/dino-snores-for-kids.html 

The Deep Group Sleepovers, Hull

If Blue Whale skeletons aren’t enough for you, fall into a (Deep) Sleep, with a stopover at Hull’s The Deep. Get a gang together and park your sleeping bags next to sharks, rays, turtles and more, drifting off to the sight of huge sea monsters, swooshing past your pillow. This one is kids only (though you could sneak in if you’re perhaps a Cub Scout leader or similar) but it’s also available - albeit at quite a price - for individual families of up to six people.  

thedeep.co.uk/deep-experiences/sleepovers 

British Museum Sleepovers

Snooze in good company, among kings and pharaohs, at a British Museum overnight stay. Again, you will need to borrow a child, but a few stories about cursed mummies and we don’t think they’ll give you any trouble, leaving you free to enjoy your evening and experience one of the world’s best museums after hours. 

britishmuseum.org/membership/sleepovers

Data After Dark, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

Take the chance to explore the museum without having to politely wait for the kids to step aside from the buttons and give you a turn. Not quite a sleepover, but this event is open from 7pm to 10pm and lets the grown-ups get their hands on all kinds of fascinating exhibits, from virtual reality light sabre duels and Lego to items in the interactive gallery, including getting up close and personal with Dolly the Sheep. Ticket includes a drink from the Belfield Brewery and there’s plenty of fun for adults from DJs to food stands and photobooths. 

nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events/events/national-museum-of-scotland/data-after-dark/

Kip on a Ship, HMS Belfast

Have hot chocolate from a real ‘mess mug’, learn semaphore and make your own flag pole aboard the HMS Belfast on the River Thames, before sleeping over on this historical ‘floating village’. Groups of children (and responsible adults) can stay for up to three nights. 

iwm.org.uk/kip

Themed sleepovers, The Novium Museum, Chichester

Learn about smugglers, space and much more with treasure hunts and hands-on activities by night at The Novium, Chichester’s Roman specialist museum and then settle down for sleep among the Roman Baths. 

thenovium.org/sleepover  

Soane Lates, Sir John Soane’s Museum, London

Another ‘lates’ event that’s a bit special and just for the grown-ups. Visit the atmospheric Sir John Soane museum (pictured above) after hours and see the exhibits by candlelight on 90 minute tours that run up 9.30pm. Soak up the atmosphere of the museum when no one else is around before heading out for dinner and drinks. 

soane.org/whats-on/soane-lates-spotlight-soane-april-2022 

Enjoy more unusual outings with our feature Sneak Peek in our May issue, in which we discover places where you can tour behind the scenes, from theatres and museums to hidden farms and secret gardens.

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Etymology | Tilting at Windmills

Etymology from the land of giants and jousting

The phrase ‘tilting at windmills’ is often said to ‘come from’ Cervantes’ Don Quixote. In fact, the phrase never appears there, but it does refer to the title character’s strange belief that windmills are giants… "with their long arms. Some of them have arms well nigh two leagues in length” that he must fight. 

Tilting, for those who are wondering, means ‘jousting with lances’, and the phrase has come to simply meaning ‘fighting an imaginary enemy’. 

It was first used in reference to Don Quixote 40 years after the novel was published, in The Character of a London Diurnall in 1644, where John Cleveland wrote "The Quixotes of this Age fight with the Wind-mills of their owne Heads." But the phrase as we know it today is first used in April 1870 in the New York Times, which reported that the Western Republicans “have not thus far had sufficient of an organization behind them to make their opposition to the Committee’s bill anything more than tilting at windmills.”

If you’d like to tilt at a windmill, or perhaps just enjoy a spring walk to a windmill, do read our Outing feature from page 60 of the March issue.

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Primer | Street Artists

Do you know your Banksy from your Ben Eine? Get a quick street artist 101 here and feel a little more informed and a lot more ‘street’. Just don’t do any ‘yoof’ hand gestures, ok?

With Banksys selling for thousands and colourful murals cheering our town and city walls more than ever, there’s never been a better time to start becoming a bit more aware of what you’re looking at on your local walls and pavements. Street artists all over the country are using the great outdoors to bring joy, make statements and just make us stop and stare. Next time you’re thinking ‘that’s clever, I wonder who did that…’ you might find the answer here.

Banksy

The daddy of street art currently. Banksy’s art tends not to be fabulously beautiful but more political with a dose of humour. 

Look for: His trademark black and white stencil style with spots of colour. 

Find it in: Very public places (he doesn’t do railways sidings or out-of-the-way spots). He also always asks permission so if you want to know if it’s a Banksy, knock on the door of the building and ask!

Do say: “I think you’ll find latest belief is that Banksy is not in fact Robert del Naja of the band Massive Attack, but a whole art collective.” 

Don’t say: “I can’t believe he shredded that lovely picture. What a waste!”

Cornbread

Lesser known as Darryl McCray, this Philadelphia artist is considered to be the first modern graffiti writer. In that sense he’s really a tagger rather than an artist. 

Look for: His famous ‘Cornbread’ tag. It’s very simple and he’s all about the tag rather than visuals. 

Find it in: Philadelphia, naturally. Often on road signs. 

Do say: “Did you know Cornbread got his nickname in juvenile detention centre?”

Don’t say: “But it’s just his NAME! Where’s the art?”

Keith Haring

You’ll know Keith Haring even if you think you don’t; he’s the pop artist with the colourful faceless figures. Once part of the NYC subculture, now his art is all over galleries and calendars for us all to enjoy. 

Look for: His famous ‘continuous line’ - he was able to paint a whole picture without using several ‘strokes’ like most graffiti artists. If the piece is signed by him (and they often aren’t) the signature will be subtle and hard to spot. 

Find it in: New York City where there are still five murals. Or in galleries around the world. There was an exhibition at Tate Liverpool in 2019 so keep your eyes peeled for more. 

Do say: “You can really see Haring’s fascination with semiotics coming through in the text-like shape of his art, can’t you?”

Don’t say: “Did he forget to draw the faces on those guys?”

Annatomix

Birmingham street artist Annatomix is known for her geometric murals of birds and wildlife - as well as some humans, including a mural of David Bowie. 

Look for: Colourful, geometric animals - often mistaken for being origami. “ I can understand why people may see a relation to origami in my work, but my influence actually comes from geometry, low poly modelling, crystalline structures and architecture,” she says. 

Find it in: Birmingham and other places. Don’t miss the amazing birds mural in Wandsworth, south London. 

Do say: “It’s fascinating the way her style clearly nods to our future with nature - more robotic and less organic in many ways…”

Don’t say: “Ooh! Can you do a swan out of a napkin?”

Ben Eine

Londoner, Ben Eine is known for his colourful, often circus style, typographic art. One of his most famous pieces to date is his mural on the side of Shoreditch’s Village Underground, a tribute to the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster that reads: “You saw it in the tears of those who survived.”

Look for: Huge, brightly coloured letters. 

Find it in: London - all over but particularly East London, though he’s now so famous he has his own shop where you can purchase your own Ben Eine in the form of a face mask if you wish.

Do say: “The words represent so much more than the mere letters they are made up of…”

Don’t say: “Well that’s confusing. It clearly says ‘Social Club’ here in large letters but in fact it’s just a garage. Am I in the wrong place?”

If you’re inspired to see more beautiful things on the streets near you, don’t miss our feature Art in the Wild, starting on page 64 of our February issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Visit | Giant Statues

In our November issue, we explore some of the most awe-inspiring places around the UK (our own Seven Wonders of the World). One was the Kelpies, which you can read about below. And, if you’re inspired to visit more giant sculptures, we’ve put together a list of a few that are on our bucket list. 

On the unremarkable stretch of the M9 between Edinburgh and Glasgow, just close to junction 6 for Falkirk, there’s a sight to lift even the most dreich day. Two giant horse heads: The Kelpies. They’re named after Scottish mythology’s shapeshifting water beasts, but each sinew and twitch is based on two real Clydesdale horses, Duke and Baron. 30-metre tall gatekeepers to a Forth and Clyde Canal extension, they honour the hard-worked horses once used to pull barges. To really appreciate their magnificence, approach on foot, through Helix Park and crane your neck to acknowledge the wonder of their construction, all 27,000 steel pieces of it. Seven years after their completion, they’re firmly rooted in their landscape, a point of local pride. Guardians, as their sculptor Andy Scott describes them – hopefully for many years to come.

If you fancy seeing some awe-inspiringly big art, you might also like to visit one of the following...

The Angel of the North

We must kick of the list with the most famous large sculpture in Britain, Anthony Gormley’s Angel, which spreads its wings across a hill at Low Eighton, overlooking the A1 and A167 at 20 metres tall. The body is based on a cast of Gormley’s own body. 

Messenger

Located outside the Theatre Royal in Plymouth, Joseph Hillier’s 7m tall statue is based on a pose by one cast member, Nicola Kavanagh, about to run on stage during a production of Othello in 2014. It’s the largest sculpture made in the UK using the ‘lost wax’ method. 

Verity, Ilfracombe

Damien Hirst’s Verity stands (more than 20 metres tall) looking out over the Bristol Channel, at the entrance to Ilfracombe harbour. Verity is a pregnant woman, holding a sword and the scales of justice, standing on a pile of law books. It’s on loan to the town for 20 years.  

Horse of the South

Nic Fiddian-Green’s Horse of the South is a giant horse’s head that stands just by the A3 near the Esher bypass turn off, as a protest against urban sprawl in the area. He hopes one day to install a giant horse in the South Downs to rival Gormley’s Angel of the North. 

The Giant Spoon

You wouldn’t think a giant spoon would be hard to find, but this sculpture on the edge of a field in Cramlington, Northumberland, takes a bit of hunting down. The dessert spoon is 4.5m tall and was installed as part of the Eat for England campaign to encourage people to get out into the countryside. 

Irwell Valley Sculpture Trail

Winding from Bacup to Salford Quays, this is the largest sculpture trail in England, which includes 28 sculptures of all shapes and sizes, including a huge giant picture frame so you can be a work of art yourself. 

Terris Novalis

Created by Tony Cragg on what was once the site of the Stanhope and Tyne Railway Line at Consett, are a 19th-century theodolite and an engineer’s level, 20 times life size and created from stainless steel. They’re a nod to the area’s industrial history. 

Dream

This 20m tall head on the site of the old Sutton Manor Colliery in St Helen’s, Merseyside,  is coated in white Spanish dolomite, intended as a contrast to the coal that was once mined here. The woman has her eyes closed in peaceful meditation. 

Newton, After Blake

Fittingly perched outside the British Library, Edoardo Paolozzi’s bronze scultpure stands 3.7m high and is mounted on a high plinth, all the better to look out at all the readers and scholars coming and going from the library. 

Silvas Capitalis

A giant head made from larch is not what you’d <expect> to find in a forest, but this one, located alongside the Lakeside Way in Kielder, sort of looks at home. You can clamber inside it and up the stairs to the first floor to look out through its eyes and listen to the sounds of the forest through its ears. 

Read about the rest of our Seven Marvels of Britain in the November issue. And we’d love to hear about any of your own Marvels of Britain. Leave us a note in the comments below.

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Outing | museums and galleries you might not have heard of

With museums and galleries reopening, we’re sharing a few lesser known gems that are worth seeking out this summer

We’re so lucky here in the UK to have some of the world’s most amazing museums and galleries available to us. From the wonders of the Science Museum in Kensington to the beautiful architecture of the Kelvingrove Gallery in Glasgow. From the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich to art by the sea at Tate St Ives. 

But look a little closer and almost every town and village in the UK has its own museum, some dedicated to local history, others simply collections of the weird and wonderful that someone has loved enough to put on display. There are museums of lawnmowers, collections of teapots (pictured above at Teapot Island in Kent) and everything in between. 

As museums and galleries begin slowly to open, we thought we’d share some of The Simple Things team’s favourites around the country. Perhaps you can visit them on your travels this summer? Don’t forget to send us a postcard! 

The Time Machine Museum of Science Fiction, Bromyard, Herefordshire

Editor Lisa Sykes recently visited the area and was disappointed to find this closed but having sadly pressed her nose against the glass is planning to return this summer and explore the Time Machine Museum thoroughly. It contains props, costumes and more from TV Science Fiction series including Doctor Who, Star Trek, Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds, Red Dwarf and more, all displayed in a suitably creepy dungeon. It may be small but it’s like a TARDIS inside. In fact, there is a TARDIS inside. 

The Hat Works Museum, Stockport, Cheshire

The Hat Works Museum was a favourite haunt of Sub Editor Abbie Miller’s delightful mum, who was a fan of excellent millinery and loved a jaunt here. Abbie’s hoping to explore it again herself next time she’s back ‘home’. Housed in a Grade II listed Victorian mill, you can see hats of all manner as well as learning about the hatting industry and hat blocking. Visit just for the joy of asking a curator: “Where DID you get that hat?!” Check website for opening.

Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge

This gallery started life as a home, belonging to a Tate curator, Jim Ede, and it retains its warmth and personality, making it a firm favourite for Deputy Editor, Frances Ambler. As well as the fine art, there are plenty of plants, carefully considered arrangements of found natural objects and plenty of places to stop, pause and take it all in. Kettles Yard is a really magic place.

Ditchling Museum of Arts and Crafts

Whenever Editor-at-Large, Iona Bower gets an afternoon to herself she sneaks off to Ditchling in West Sussex to be mesmerised by the rows of natural dyes Eric Gill fonts at the Arts and Crafts Museum. Ditchling is a tiny village so the museum feels strangely huge within it, but it houses internationally important works by some of the artists and craftspeople who flocked to Ditchling during the 20th century. The museum also has a fabulous shop and the best salted caramel brownies in the county, all housed in a beautiful converted farm building. 

Pallant House Gallery, Chichester

Picture Researcher, Liz Boyd loves a day trip to Chichester to Pallant House Gallery, a permanent and rotating collection of artworks in a beautiful townhouse in picturesque streets. There’a a fabulous art shop there, too. 

Hillbrush Brush-making Museum, Mere, Somerset

As eclectic as they come, this museum of brush-making, attached to the Hillbrush factory, is a favourite with Commissioning Editor, Lindsey Harrad. If you’re taking children with you, it’s worth knowing that they provide an excellent kids’ information pack, which includes mini brushes, so that they can sweep their away around the museum. Check website for opening times. 

Derwent Pencil Museum, Keswick, Cumbria

In true Art Editor form, Joe McIntyre’s favourite museum is the Derwent Pencil Factory, home of the first pencil, and entered through its own graphite mine. You can also see secret WW2 pencils with hidden maps, an eight-metre long colouring pencil  and more. 

Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford

Pitt Rivers is a favourite of Commissioning Editor, Karen Dunn, and is home to the University of Oxford’s archaeological and anthropological collections, including everything from totem poles to skulls. If you can manage to eat after that, there’s a decent cafe, too. 

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Job Vacancy | Lighthouse Keeper

Fancy a career change and something a little different? Apply within…

Do you have what it takes to keep Simple Things Lighthouse ship hape and Bristol fashion and ensure all ships pass safely around the rocks beneath? If think you fit the person spec below, drop us a line via seagull. 

Position: Lighthouse Keeper

Skills required: 

High level of fitness (the commute involves a lot of stairs).

Exceptional eyesight.

A head for heights.

Top notch organisational skills and a tidy mind.

Resourcefulness (particularly with reference to food preparation as deliveries can be sparse).

Experience of exterior decorating (on a large scale) would be helpful.

Must be able to confidently change a lightbulb.

Personality:

Must be capable of working independently.

An enjoyment of one’s own company would be an advantage. 

Happy to use one’s own initiative. 

Able to find the joy in solitude. 

An appreciation of seagulls would be an advantage.

And did we mention the solitude? 

Experience:

It’s probably best if you don’t have too much life experience; you’ll only miss it. 

Applicants who self-isolated for long periods during lockdown are encouraged to apply. 

In return, we can offer a fabulous coastal location, excellent views and plenty of opportunity for self-improvement (with the emphasis on ‘self’). Plenty of time off during daylight hours. While you will be required to work all night shifts, you will have the opportunity to read for pleasure while working the light - just one line at a time. 

As you may have noticed, we got just a little overexcited by our ‘Outing’ feature on lighthouses in our March issue. It’s a ripping read, whether you’re a fan of lighthouses, or are yet to discover their charms.

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Art tours | virtually Vermeer

We hope you liked the free gift in our April issue, an Old Master for every reader. Vermeer’s The Milk Maid hangs in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and is one of the museum’s biggest attractions. 

In these strange times, however, when we can’t just hop on a plane or train, art has so much to offer us from our own homes. In our April issue, art historian Susie Hodge, author of The Art Puzzle Book (White Lion) talks us through appreciating art slowly. We hope you’ll find ten minutes to spend with your own personal Vermeer at some point, getting to know it better before you hang it on a wall or perch it on a mantel somewhere.

And if you’re inspired to spend more time with art from home, you might like to visit a Vermeer virtually, or an O’Keefe online, or perhaps even a Van Gogh on Google. 

You can visit the Rijksmuseum online where you can choose to explore particular artists, or browse by category, from still lifes and portraits to biblical scenes and landscapes, getting up close enough to see every brushstroke. Don’t forget to drop in on The Milkmaid. 

Fancy a meander among the Monets? Pop down to the Musee d’Orsay and have a virtual wander through this beautiful building on the banks of the Seine, in the former Orsay Railway Station.

Or, if you like a more hi-tech approach, nip into the Met in New York, and try out the Met 360 Project, a series of six videos filmed to allow you to view it in 360 degrees. If you view it on your phone you can simply raise your phone to look up to the ceiling or drop it downwards to see what’s beneath you. You can stand in the galleries alone for an ‘after hours’ view or soar above the gallery’s cloisters for a bird’s eye view.

Sometimes you just need to look at something from a different perspective.

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More from our April issue…

More art for art’s sake…

The rules of Pooh Sticks

Simple and such fun: here’s how to play properly

Pooh Sticks, the game that’s made for anyone who just can’t help but pick up sticks in the forest, and is best played with a big crowd of friends, was originally invented (by Pooh himself, obviously) all alone and using pine cones. But Pooh had such larks dropping pine cones of the bridge in the Hundred Acre Wood and rushing to the other side to watch them come through, he shared it with all his friends.

If you wish to play on the actual bridge Pooh and friends used, you’ll need to head to Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, on which A.A. Milne based the books. The bridge itself is a footbridge which crosses a tributary of the Medway in Posingford Wood. It’s a lovely day out and - pro tip - if you fancy a Little Smackerel Of Something, the nearby village of Hartfield has a cafe named Pooh Corner with cakes a plenty and plenty of Milne memorabilia, too.

Pooh Corner’s owner Mike Ridley wrote a little booklet with the rules of Pooh Sticks in back in 1996 to mark the 70th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh. It’s rather charming and we think every spring picnic to somewhere near a river needs a copy of these rules in order to play Pooh Sticks Properly (A.A Milne capitals intended). So here they are:

First, you each select a stick and show it to your fellow competitors. You must agree which stick is which - or whose, as it were.

1. Check which way the stream is flowing. Competitors need to face the stream on the side where it runs in, under the bridge (upstream). Note: If the stream runs out, from under the bridge you are standing on the wrong side! (downstream).

2. Choose someone to be a Starter. This can be either the oldest or the youngest competitor.

3. All the competitors stand side by side facing upstream.

4. Each competitor holds their stick at arms length over the stream. The tall competitors should lower their arms to bring all the sticks to the same height over the stream as the shortest competitor's stick.

5. The starter calls, 'Ready - Steady - Go!" and all the competitors drop their sticks. Note: the stick must not be thrown into the water*.

6. At this point in the game all the players must cross to the downstream side of the bridge. Please take care - young players like to race across. Remember, other people use bridges and some of them have vehicles or horses.

7. Look over the edge of the bridge for the sticks to emerge. The owner of the first Stick to float from under the bridge, is the winner.

Remember: Falling into the water is SAD (Silly And Daft)!

*Eeyore apparently suggests dropping it ‘in a twitchy sort of way’ but we think doing so might risk disqualification.

In our March issue, which is in shops now, our Outing feature, In Search of Spring, looks more closely at Pooh Sticks (and how to win) as well as other days out for those seeking spring.

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Where to get wild

Take an outdoor course and you could learn a new skill and return home smugly clasping a new spoon, dreamcatcher... or goat (maybe not the goat)

There are plenty of local courses online, or look at those run by the National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk/build-your-skills). Wild guides (wildthingspublishing.com) also list local courses by region. 

Woodcarving with Woodmatters, Cumbria

Try your hand at carving anything from spoons to stools. From £65, woodmatters.org.uk. 

Woodland Women, near Bristol

All-female day and weekend retreats in Tortworth Arboretum, eg, willow skills and campfire cooking. From £16.50, honeywoodscamping.co.uk. 

Wild Things weekends, Scotland

Women-only wilderness weekenders include foraging, wild medicinal plants and natural navigation. From £160, wild-things.org.uk.

Wild Bushcraft Company knife-making course, Wales

You’ll use 100% recycled materials to forge your own knife, complete with an antler handle. Four-day course, from £350, wildbushcraft.co.uk.

Wood craft courses, Sheffield

Craft courses are run throughout the year in Ecclesall Woods in Sheffield. From blacksmithing to furniture- making, the bustling Woodland Discovery Centre is a hidden oasis in the city. From £85, ecclesallwoodscraftcourses.co.uk.

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More summer outings:

Unexpected treasures | Outdoor art

From waymarking sculptures on coastal paths to pieces made from the earth itself, outdoor art comes in many and various forms.

GALLERIES IN THE GLADES

Forests can often feel a little like galleries: the hushed atmosphere, the filtered light, the sculptural forms of the branches. It’s no surprise then that several forests have taken this one step further, installing site-specific sculptures, to help us explore and understand the woods and their history. So in the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail, lines of compressed charcoal by Onya McCausland signal underground coal mines, while in Kielder Water and Forest Park in Northumberland, Chris Drury’s Wave Chamber projects the rippling waters of the adjacent lake onto the chamber’s floor.

SCULPTURES BY THE SEA

Summer is often when we head to the coast and, just as many of our seaside towns are now home to impressive art galleries (think Margate and Dundee), so outdoor art has stepped into the limelight. Another Place by Antony Gormley is undoubtedly one of the most haunting works: 100 life-size cast-iron statues “trying to remain standing, trying to breathe,”as Gormley has said, in the shifting sands of Crosby Beach, just north of Liverpool. Due to its size, and therefore the statement it makes, a lot of outdoor art tends to be by well known artists with guaranteed ‘pulling power’ (eg, Maggi Hambling’s Scallop at Aldeburgh). It’s refreshing then to note that the five new waymarking sculptures created for the Gower coastal trail between Mumbles and Rhossili this year are all by lesser-known artists, all women, handcarving in oak.

PARKLIFE PIECES

Purpose-built sculpture parks got going in Britain in the late 1970s with the launch of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the first in the UK and, with more than 500 acres to play with, the largest of its kind in Europe. The rolling open fields provide an expansive backdrop to monumental pieces by Henry Moore, while the landscaped grounds and woods shelter works by a roll call of leading names from Elisabeth Frink to Andy Goldsworthy. Entrance is free, but donations are invited. If it’s site-specific art you’re after, head further north to Jupiter Artland, just outside Edinburgh, where collectors Robert and Nicky Wilson have invited contemporary artists to make new pieces for their 100-acre estate. Highlights include several works by Goldsworthy and Cells of Life by Charles Jencks, in which the earth itself has been sculpted into sinuous, swirling landforms.

Turn to page 64 of July's The Simple Things for more extraordinary and challenging, joyful outdoor art that helps us see the world differently.

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Seaside snacks for a stroll along the prom

With the sea beside you, an ice-cream in hand and attractions all around, proms offer a fun coastal walk without the hike

Six snacks for promenaders

Cockles
Skewer a few of these vinegary delicacies from a cardboard tub with a cocktail stick for maximum seaside snack authenticity.

Ice-cream
Wherever you find a prom, you will find an ice-cream parlour. It would be a crime not to indulge, whether you go for a simple cornet or a sundae.

Doughnuts
Sharing a bag of freshly-fried, sugar-coated doughnuts is an ideal accompaniment to a seaside stroll. Let an increase in appetite caused by the sea air be your excuse.

Fish and chips
A piece of sustainably sourced haddock in a light batter with a tray of fat chips and mushy peas? Yes, please.

Milkshake
This frothy glass of flavoured milk has bounded into the modern age with new flavours like Oreo Cookies and Cream, and Peanut Butter Fudge. Yum.

Rock
Teeth-splintering it may be, yet a sucking a piece of this usually-mint-flavoured pulled sugar is an essential seaside experience.

Turn to page 66 of June's The Simple Things for more of our seaside prom feature.

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Escape: The modern pilgrimage

Modern pilgrims quietly travel on foot to places with meaning or significance. You may have been on a pilgrimage without even knowing it. All it takes is to walk purposefully towards a place that means something to you. 

All over the world, different religions have taken up pilgrimages: Muslims head to Mecca, Christians to Santiago de Compostela, Hindus walk the length of the Ganges. Whereas modern pilgrimages don’t require a belief in God, they can follow the paths of these earlier pilgrims to a cathedral, chapel or shrine, and appreciate these places for the holy spaces they are.

What is considered sacred today, however, is much broader. Many ancient sites exert a powerful pull and have the additional benefit of being in the landscape, often in out-of-the-way and lovely places. Journey to a long barrow on the crest of a hill, a standing stone overlooking a bay, or a stone circle in the heart of a wheat field, and chances are that you will experience something profound and steadying. As philosopher and writer Alain de Botton puts it: “Certain places, perhaps because of their remoteness, vastness, chaotic energy, haunting melancholy, exert a capacity to salve the wounded parts of us.”

Five British pilgrimage sites

Join other wayfarers at these ancient and sacred places. 

Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles, Wiltshire
Solstice gatherings of druids at the UK’s most famous stone circle are well known, but at other times of the year it’s impossible to get close to the megaliths. Better to head to nearby Avebury for more convenient stone-hugging. 

Bardsey Island, Wales
Bardsey was a major pilgrimage destination in medieval times, and is still a destination for anyone seeking a spiritual place. 

Walsingham, Norfolk
Following a vision of the Virgin Mary, a rich widow called Richeldis de Faverches built a shrine here in the 11th century. The site has remained significant for Roman Catholics, and still attracts 100,000 pilgrims a year. 

Iona, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
Iona has been a centre of spirituality since Saint Columba established a monastery here in AD653. It now attracts visitors on religious and secular retreats. 

Glastonbury Tor, Somerset
Glastonbury attracts both Christians and non-believers. The town may be full of crystal shops but up on the Tor, it’s all about the view and King Arthur.

Turn to page 74 of April’s The Simple Things for more on Clare Gogerty’s look at modern pilgrimages.

More from the April issue:

More Escape inspiration: 

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Outing: Making a bus journey into an adventure PLUS a playlist

WHETHER YOU PLAY ‘CHARABANC ROULETTE’ AND GO WHERE FATE TAKES YOU, OR TAKE A SLOW CHUG IN A VINTAGE VEHICLE, LIFE LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM THE DECK OF A BUS. 

On page 68 of July's The Simple Things, Julian Owen takes us on a trip down memory lane.

Need a soundtrack? Have a listen to our bus journey playlist for 41 minutes of songs to listen to while those wheels go round. Cheers drive, as they say in the west country.

Sponsored post: A summer escape in Somerset

Somerset Yurts is run by husband and wife team, Mark and Emma Cavill along with our two young boys, Will and Tommy. Having spent 10 years in hectic corporate life around the Thames Valley, we decided the time was right to move back to Mark’s family farm and settle down in our beloved West Country. Spending many weekends traveling back and forth from Somerset to Berkshire, while we were still working, we really grew to appreciate the slower pace in Somerset, the countryside, big skies, and peace that the farm provided. We started hatching plans to share this slice of rural tranquillity with people looking for a break from their daily stresses; and knew that yurts, combined with the beautiful Somerset countryside, would provide a really unique ‘glamping’ experience, so Somerset Yurts was born!

Our farm is a dairy farm, with around 120 cows over 300 acres. We love showing guests around our farm, introducing our cows and calves, and showing the milking process. Children particularly love this, and it’s great to see them getting a grasp of where their milk, cheese, butter, cream and yoghurt comes from.

You will find your yurt nestled in a beautiful, peaceful field that boasts stunning, uninterrupted views over Taunton Vale and the Blackdown Hills beyond. In such serene surroundings you’ll soon unwind and find yourself immersed in the countryside.

Our four yurts are all luxuriously furnished with a double bed, double futon, dining table, throws, rugs, and a wood burner to keep you cosy and warm during your stay. You'll also find a BBQ and gas stove in your private picnic area, or you could opt for campfire cooking over the communal fire pit.

The Dutch Barn is the unsung hero of Somerset Yurts. Home to a spacious and fully equipped communal kitchen/dining area, and a large bathroom with proper flushing loo’s and hot power showers – the perfect partner to your lovely yurt!

The Simple Things readers can enjoy 10% off their Somerset Yurts glamping escape using SPRING13 in the voucher code area of the booking form.

Visit www.somersetyurts.co.uk or call 07811 350176 for more information

Wordlesss Wednesdays: bank holidays by the beach