The world feels a little like it has been in fifth gear for some time now. With the rapid pace of technological progress having granted us all immediate access to a handheld computer, and with a post-pandemic world rushing back up to meet us after an unusual period of work-and-play purgatory, it is no surprise that many families are feeling stressed, disjointed and out of sync.
The solution for a family rubbing one another up the wrong way is, naturally, to holiday. But a quintessential sun-and-sea weekend isn’t necessarily the way to pull you all back into sympathy with one another. Families are hard work, and to achieve a better harmony between you all your retreat should be something a little more special. The Great Outdoors, then, beckons. But what are the best ways to facilitate family bonding while on a rural retreat?
A Camping Adventure
There isn’t anything that quite matches the higgledy-piggledy beauty of a full-family camping trip somewhere rural. Camping allows you to access some of the UK’s most amazing areas of natural beauty, and get much closer than you might otherwise to incredible secluded areas within them. Indeed, in Scotland, wild camping is largely legal – giving you carte blanche to go exploring with everyone in tow.
Camping is also an endeavour which requires teamwork. Between pitching the tents, cooking, managing resources and even building a fire, there are so many tasks and undertakings that can enrich the bond between you. The spoils are just that little bit better, too, as a result.
A Holiday Lodge
Of course, while the great outdoors might appeal greatly as a form of full-family getaway, the rest of your family might not be so enthused at the prospect of camping. After all, setting up and managing tents can be a stressful experience, and poor weather can put an immediate dampener on otherwise high spirits.
For the less adventurously inclined family, or indeed for those family members particularly wedded to the prospect of charging sockets and heating units, it might make more sense to seek out lodges for sale in beautiful rural locations. Such lodges could become a home-from-home, and provide a solid base from which to quietly enjoy the best of a beautiful area.
Volunteering
Not all outdoor activities need to come in the form of a holiday, getaway or retreat. There are plenty of short-term ways to enjoy the outdoors, and moreover to do so together. Some of these ways can also be extremely valuable teaching moments for younger members of the family, as with volunteering.
All across the country there are conservationist groups working to preserve nature in the face of environmental pollution and climate change. A day spent assisting such a group in rewilding efforts could be an educational and hands-on way of engaging with nature, and a way to spend valuable time together in the process.
