Swallows and Amazons: 5 ways to have your own outdoor adventure in the UK

Celebrate the film's release by getting back to nature with canoeing, camping, foraging and more

(Secret Harbour Films/BBC/British Film Institute 2016)

With the adventure-packed summer film Swallows and Amazons hitting cinemas today, and the school holidays in full swing, there’s no better time to kindle children's sense of adventure and take them out for a fun-filled family adventure. Discover hidden caves and perfect camping spots, or take the Walker children's boating experience in Arthur Ransome’s story to the next level.

Cruise the broads

Get back to nature on a guided bushcraft canoe trail on the Norfolk Broads. Spend daylight hours discovering the channels and backwaters of the Broads best accessed by canoe, before setting down for the night with your freshly learned survival skills, including fire-lighting and cooking over an open fire. A two day expedition costs £125 for children over the age of eight and £175 for adults with The Canoe Man (thecanoeman.com).

Children can channel their inner Bear Grylls with a lesson in bushcraft

Rich pickings

There's no need for scrumping when there are plenty of other ways to fill up on the season's best produce. Wild Food UK (wildfooduk.com) runs foraging courses around the country, where you can learn to identify edible plants and fughi, from around £17.50 for children and £35 for adults. Alternatively, head to a pick-your-own farm such as Roundstone in West Sussex (roundstonefarm.co.uk), where you can park up for the day, grab a basket, and forage in the fields. Summer months will see many farms growing strawberries, blackberries and raspberries ripe for the picking.

If wild foraging isn't for you, head to a pick-your-own farm (Shutterstock)

Crawl into new spaces

The Yorkshire Dales are known for their scenic beauty, but there’s a whole new world to discover if you head underground. Anyone aged seven and up is able to don a helmet and head-torch and walk (or crawl) through the natural caves in the Pennines, encountering everything from mud to underground waterfalls along the way. There are even hot showers and changing rooms to get cleaned up in at the end of the day. How Stean (howstean.co.uk) offers half a day of caving for £45 per person.

Caving in the Pennines (How Stean)

Pitch up

Swallows and Amazons takes place in the Lake District, so what better way to walk in John, Susan, Titty (renamed Tatty in the new film) or Roger’s shoes than by camping out there? Among the many sites to choose from there is the option to be near a busy town such as Keswick or the chance to choose a far quieter area like Eskdale. The truly adventurous can try wild camping in the national park, too – though you do have to check the land owner's permission before pitching up for the night. Pitchup.com has various options in the Lakes, including The Quiet Side, between Grasmere and Elter Water, which has grass pitches from £15.

Camp out at the Lakes

Stand tall

The children of Ransome’s story may have used dinghies to get to their island, but there’s another way to explore on the water. Stand up paddle-boarding is exactly what the name suggests - the board being something akin to those used in surfing, but it's much easier to get the hang of. Try finding your sea legs on an SUP tour around Wales's stunning Gower coastline with Stand Up Paddle Gower (supgower.com; from £45 per person).

You can paddle-board through the Gower's Three Cliffs Bay (supgower.com)