Picnicking is one of our favourite traditional summer activities and for over 10 years the UK has celebrated National Picnic Week.
With Staycations popular this year more people than ever will be enjoying the great British outdoors. Picnics are fun and relaxing for all ages and provide a fantastic way to meet up and dine with family and friends; no booking needed, just an arrangement with friends!
There are many beautiful places to picnic here in the UK but you don’t need to travel far…a local park, wood, or a back garden will do (preferably someone you know!).
5 great places to picnic
1. Corfe Castle, Dorset. With its picturesque landscape in the Purbeck Hills and steeped in history, this makes an ideal picnic spot. As well as a castle and beautiful walks there are several interesting places to visit in the local area including a Model Village and an animal rescue centre. You can take a steam train to Swanage too!
2. Castlerigg Stone Circle, Keswick. This is one of Britain’s most impressive prehistoric sites. There are walks for all abilities and how lovely to picnic whilst viewing the four tallest peaks in the Lake District!
3. Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire. Picnic on an award winning beach. Explore the rock pools, dunes and caves. Take a walk and enjoy the stunning views.
4. Devil’s Dyke, West Sussex. This is Britain’s longest, deepest and wildest dry valley. Picnic with brilliant views over the English Channel and South Downs.
5. Peak District National Park. The Monsal, High Peak and Tissington Trails offer excellent opportunities to walk, cycle and picnic.
What foods are best for a picnic?
So you’ve decided on the location and set the date but what to take for a picnic? What does one include to make the picnic memorable?
You need a selection of foods that are easy to pack and eat with minimal or no cutlery. A mixture of sweet and savoury foods – cold meats, smoked salmon, savoury biscuits, delicious cheeses, interesting crisps, sweet biscuits, fruit and nuts.
Check out our picnic hampers for a high- end feast at home! We include British cheeses, fine wines and nibbles from top artisan producers. You’ll find something for everyone.
For pure indulgence and something a bit different, how about including a Cream Tea? Quintessentially British!
For fun take along some Pimm's, such a summery drink. For the ultimate in luxury and sophistication, a bottle of champagne.
Our top five Picnic hampers
- Best of British Picnic Hamper
- Pimm’s Cream Tea Hamper
- Summer Time Picnic Hamper
- The Champagne Picnic Hamper
- British Cream Tea Hamper
Did you know?
1. The word ‘picnic’ originally comes stems back to 1794, exactly 100 years after ‘pique-nique’ first appeared in the French language.
2. The French were the people who first introduced the modern idea of picnics when they opened their Royal Parks to the French public after the revolution in 1789.
3. One of the first UK accounts of picnicking comes from tales of Robin Hood. Robin and his Merry Men would dine on bread, cheese and beer under the shelter of the trees.
4. During the first half of the 19th century there was a Picnic Society who would meet in London at the Pantheon, a location for public entertainment in Oxford Street.
5. In Victorian Britain, a picnic was a fashionable social event in which each guest contributed some food.
Fun Facts
1. The average person picnics at least 3 times a year. That’s 94 million picnics per year!
2. The most popular picnic snack 50 years ago was a cheese sandwich. Now it’s a bag of crisps.
3. John W Bratton was the man responsible for the tune to ‘The Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ composed in 1907.
4. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the world’s longest picnic table measured 407.27m and this was achieved by the City of Memphis in 2019.
5. After an ant has visited your picnic it lays down a scent as it returns to the nest. This is so his friends can follow!
Fresh air, sunlight and quality time – now pack that picnic, get out there and create some happy memories!
