Easy Breezy Nature Days

A Mystery Trail is an imaginative way to explore towns, cities & villages across Ireland with a self-guided themed walk. An easy-to-follow route will enable you to crack the clues whilst taking in some of the most fascinating sights along the way.

Brainstorm for ways to improve your outdoor space for kids and adults- from doorstep, balcony to back garden- and get busy revamping the space. This will be a bottomless well of inspiration for enjoying Time On Your Hands at home. From tidying, clear outs, painting, making flower beds, crafted props, gardening zones, play zones or relaxing zones- there's no end of ways to keep busy in the garden. And when you are done in your own outdoor space, maybe the communal open green spaces nearby would benefit from a revamp too.

Take off in search of the nearest waterfall, cave, river walk, unexplored canal walk, highest point, lake, unexplored forest, open farm, cycling trail, dolmen, fort, castle ruins, abbey ruins or just explore as you go.

Make a Walking Stick - A very useful companion for walks in the woods, through meadows or anywhere off road. This can be a handy little business for older kids and teenagers too. Check out the link to find out how.

Build a Hedgehog House- Make one for your garden, local green and maybe some Tidy Town groups would like some too?

Build this simple Nest Box- maybe a relative, neighbour or the Tidy Towns group in your area would live some too? Many hours of fun to be had here..

Build a den or base with your kids

Wild swimming- check out one of the many blue flag beaches around Ireland for some full body connection to Nature. Be mindful of tides, currents and swim within flags on life guard patrolled beaches. Also take care with children on inflatable water toys or buggy boards - the National Coast Guard has warned inflatables are not suitable for inland or sea due to the high risk they pose to the public (children can float away). We only recommend sea swimming to very strong swimmers, especially if there is no life guard at the site. Swim Ireland have launched a new interactive map so you can now discover a new swim spot to enjoy https://swimspots.meandthewater.ie/

Visit a Birds of Prey Centre for a fun packed trip the kids will love. Search Falconry or Birds of Prey online for one of the many facilities nationwide with this attraction. Check out the link for the great center we visited in Co. Sligo and get to meet some cute animals too.

Why not explore your local area on foot. Challenge everyone to find 3 news things they have never noticed before. Learn a cool trick to find North. The kids can map their area and work out where to position landmarks on it using their new direction trick.

The coast is a prime spot for fossil hunting- get up close to the creatures who lived on Earth millions of year ago. Search around exposed rock layers, buffs or sea banks. Follow the guide attached to get started. Easkey Beach, Co. Sligo, to the right of the pier has the most awesome, giant, fossils trapped in time on the exposed rocks! Search online for other good coastal fossil spots. Take care and be mindful of tides, time of day and slippery surfaces too

Go Crabbing- it doesn't take much to get these nippers onto a line. Follow this handy guide to give it a try- hazy summer evenings here we come!

Shoreline Detective-they are so many fun things to do at the seaside. Use this handy spotter to explore the shoreline.

Rockpooling-It's simple: Bring your kids fishing nets, find a rock pool to explore and use this handy guide to get started. Be mindful of tides, currents and the time of day when by the sea.

Follow the trail or do one of the many fun activities to be found at the park

Follow one of the many greenway trails by bike for a fun day out

A great day out and also a chance to visit a working farm with your family- double whammy!

Join a quick gardening online event and spend time working on your green finger outdoors. Or why not renovate an area of your garden as a hang out zone or hands on veg patch for your kids.

Take a tour and enjoy the beautiful gardens together

Sunblock, Buckets, Spades, Picnic - Head for the coast. Use this fun Beach Scavenger Hunt for extra exploring. Give Rockpooling a try too- pack the kids fishing nets and you're off.

With food production in Ireland being some of the. best in the world, there are lots of producers offering a visitor experience. Search 'Food Factory Tours' online

The Donkey Sanctuary is nestled in the beautiful Co.Cork. Visitors are welcome to our Open Farm all year round.

Visit a local market and try some local produce. Check out the link to find a market near you or search on line for more local markets. Also search for Farm Shops and markets online for locations of nearby sellers of vegetables, fruits, egg vending machines, book fairs and much more. Try http://www.countrymarkets.ie/ for further information.

Taking a ride along a beach, through a forest or farm can be a great way to travel.
Search online for a local operator.

Plan a visit to connect with animals & wildlife. Kids love to spend time with the animals. Many open farms have great add on activities, and facilities too, to make it a great family day out.

We have 6 National Parks to boast of in Ireland. Each with its on characteristic set of ecosystems

Rivers, Lakes, Waterfalls, Castles - Open all year round. Just Wow!

Dublin’s best parks are a treasure trove for outdoorsy types: there’s so much to explore and each offers something new

There’s something magical about kids in search of fairies. Here you will find places to find magical fairy trails in Ireland. I can also recommend a really beautiful Fairy Trail, and scenic park, in Belvedere House & Gardens outside Mullingar- Well worth a stop off on a trip cross country or visit to the area.

It's never too early to get your kids out on a walk in the great outdoors, be it in a sling, a buggy or on foot.