Hello

Bored?

Something better than snacking

Boredom is not hunger. Pick one card instead of the cupboard.

Read this first

Some suggestions of activities you can do, from a climb on the O2 arena in London to a lap in a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Times, prices and availability change, so search Google for what is on in your own area and book direct with the venue.

Park tennis courts, canal cycle path and an outdoor lido

summer ideas

6

Park tennis

Most councils rent rackets by the hour.

60 min

Canal or coast ride

Flat route, stop somewhere for a drink.

90 min

Lido or open water

Go with a club session your first time.

45 min

Park games

Rounders, football or volleyball on Sunday.

60 min

Hill walk or garden

A hill loop or a heritage garden nearby.

2 hr

Pick your own fruit

Local farm, an hour of picking is plenty.

60 min

Bigger days out

Book one of these for a weekend you will actually remember.

Country house with formal gardens and visitors on gravel paths
National Trust 2 hr

A heritage house or garden

Pick your region below for places worth the drive.

Ham House and Garden

Stuart house by the Thames at Richmond.

2 hr

Osterley Park

Parkland loop and a Robert Adam interior.

90 min

Morden Hall Park

Free parkland, rose garden and a river walk.

60 min
Group of adults laughing after a run in a park
Connection

Join something with people in it

Five a side, netball, running, cycling, tennis, rowing

Parkrun Saturday: free, timed, every level

Walking groups, usually with a pub at the end

Community choir or a dance class

Chess and board games on a cafe table
Low effort

Games and thinking

Chess club at a library or cafe

Board game night: Catan, Carcassonne, Codenames

Pub quiz, two friends is a team

Bridge, backgammon or cribbage groups

Hands crocheting with pottery and paints on a table
Hands busy

Making things

Crochet or knitting circle, start with a square

Life drawing, watercolour or pottery taster

Sourdough, fermenting or knife skills

Repair cafes: fix what you already own

Acoustic guitar and ukulele being played at home
Twenty minutes

Music and stage

Pick up the instrument you abandoned

Community orchestra, band or ukulele group

Small venue gig midweek, cheap tickets

Learn three songs by ear

Walker with a backpack on a woodland trail
Outdoors

Adventures near you

Take a bus route you never have, get off at the end

Volunteer: conservation, garden, food project

Geocaching or a heritage trail on foot

Camp one night within an hour of home

Special experiences

One-off treats worth booking ahead.

Climbers on the fabric walkway above the O2 arena roof in London
Up at the O2 90 min

Climb the O2 arena roof

Harnessed walk over the dome with a view down the Thames. Book a slot, wear trainers.

Red and yellow supercars in a circuit pit lane
Track day 2 hr

Drive a Ferrari or Lamborghini

A taster drive is usually two laps per car, plus a briefing and a passenger lap. Bring your licence and arrive early.

Still want a snack? Choose better

Real food, a small portion, sitting down.

Bowl of plain unsalted cashew nuts

Cashews or almonds

A small handful, plain and unsalted. Protein and fat that actually fill you up.

30 g handful
Bowl of mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Magnesium and zinc, and slow to eat, which is half the point.

2 tbsp
Stack of brown rice cakes with nut butter

Rice cakes

Plain brown rice cakes with nut butter, hummus or avocado on top.

2 cakes
Bowl of fresh blueberries and strawberries

Blueberries and berries

Sweet without the sugar crash. Frozen work just as well in a bowl of yogurt.

1 cupful