One of my favourite parts of being a dog owner is that it makes us get out of the house. When the kids are tired from a week at school and preschool, it would be very easy to sit around the house on a Sunday. Our Saturdays each week are taken up with Ell playing football, so Sunday is our only day for proper family time. Tying this in with walking Harley, and getting some fresh air, and letting the kids explore the outdoors means its a triple whammy.
If you know me in ‘real life’ you’ll know I am very vocal about the pressure on kids with school work from a very young age, and so at the weekend I think it is really good for them to spend as much time outdoors as possible. There really is no excuse for getting out in the fresh air even as the weather gets colder – as long as you have warm clothes, wellies, and waterproofs you are set.
As I’ve mentioned several times previously, we are so lucky to live in the area we do, and are always looking for new walks – preferably with some water for Harley to have a swim. Anyone who owns a springer spaniel knows they have boundless energy, and we find if Harley can have a swim, it knackers him out for at least 20 minutes (!!!).
We went for a walk, just before the leaves changed, in a village just down the road, where we have friends and spend a lot of time. Sherston is a bustling little Wiltshire Village with a couple of fantastic pubs, and a lovely tearoom/restaurant, plus a post office and a few little shops. There are also some lovely walks around the area, and the River Avon that we take Harley to swim in in Malmesbury where we live, runs right along to Sherston and beyond.
We walked along Grove Wood, and along the river. Grove Wood is a community project and there is a trail to follow with various signs pointing out wildlife and plants and trees.There are also some steep steps to climb, which the kids loved as they thought they were off on an adventure! Izzie and Ollie love anything like this as it grabs their interest and they don’t notice how far they are walking. We had a lovely long walk, and Harley found several places to have a swim, followed by tea and cake when we got home. Perfect Sunday in my opinion! Here are some photos from our walk…
