What better way to get outdoors and enjoy the long summer days than to have a picnic? It can be a fun and cheap way to get together with friends and family with everyone bringing something along to share the workload.
All you need is some food, drinks and something to sit on. Or, if you want to make it really special, you can add a touch of luxury with cutlery, plates and napkins – even a hamper if you’re lucky enough to own or be able to borrow one.
National Picnic Week has been running for over 10 years and is a great opportunity to get away from screens and get some fresh air in the countryside, at the seaside, in your local park or even in your own garden! Get a few ideas here:
Experience West Sussex – Top Picnic Spots
Sussex Accessible Countryside
Accessible Walks in Sussex
To add a bit of extra fun, set a picnic theme:
Teddy Bears’ picnic for kids – including big kids!
Sports Picnic – take along a ball, frisbee or some French Boules!
Chill-Out Picnic – just relax with your favourite books
Wildlife-Spotting Picnic – Look out for birds and wildflowers
Arty Picnic – you don’t need to be an artist. Just take along some paper and pencils or crayons and sketch what you see!
Father’s Day Picnic – Sunday 18th June
Don’t make it a Rubbish Picnic!
Unfortunately, picnics have become notorious for producing packaging waste. However, we can avoid creating even more by choosing reusable containers to pack our food and investing in reusable cutlery and plates (this often works out cheaper in the long run) – or simply taking finger food only! Learn more here: How to have an eco-friendly picnic
If you are able to make your own food this often reduces waste. Get some inspiration here: Picnic Food Ideas
Be a considerate picnicker!
- Please always remember to take all your litter (which hopefully won’t be much!) home with you as leaving rubbish lying about can be dangerous for farm animals and wildlife, as well as contributing to pollution and ruining it for other visitors.
- Make sure you choose a place where picnicking is permitted and be considerate to local farmers, landowners and residents.
Impress your friends with your knowledge of picnic history!
Picnics have a long history, starting out in 17th century France – picque-nique, originally held indoors with guests bringing along contributions to the food and wine. Later the middle classes moved the feast outdoors to enjoy scenery or when attending a public event. If you’d like to learn more, click here How the picnic came to British blankets
Happy Picnicking!
