January joy & Hampshire walks… Plus wet-wellie fun at Staunton Farm

Happy new year from Hampshire’s Countryside Service! If your resolution is to get outside more often, then you’re in the right place. It’s our job to look after nature, so nature can look after you and your family in return. Read on for glorious walks, good mood food, fireside reads and wildlife tips direct from our rangers. The Countryside Team x

RAIN OR SHINE | STAUNTON FARM 

Come on down to the farm this winter and meet our friendly animals! We’re open all year round, come rain or shine. After a good splash about in puddles you can warm up in the indoor play area with hot drinks and cake from our café. Follow us on Facebook for details.

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JANUARY JOY | HAMPSHIRE WALKS

New year, new you—or even better, happy you. From dog walkers to trail runners, cyclists to forest dreamers, if improving your mental and physical health is a January goal, then we’ve created this fantastic free resource. Click below for the very best trails in Hampshire, all searchable by postcode and marked on a digital map or PDF download. 

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BEAT THE BLUES | GET OUTSIDE

This month on our blog: Why going outside in winter is good for body, mind and soul. Answer? It makes you smarter, boosts your metabolism and improves your mood (which is why our rangers have the best job in the world… or the county, at least). 

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GOOD MOOD FOOD | HOT CHOC HEAVEN

After so much outdoorsy fun you need to warm up, and this BBC recipe caught our eye. Salted caramel and rum chocolate is the hot drink of kings and, of course, queens. If you can’t wait ’till you go home, then cosy your cockles in one of our country park cafés. From Lepe to Queen Elizabeth, Royal Victoria to Titchfield Haven, expect home-baked cakes, loose leaf teas, flat whites and comfort food made with loving care.

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WILDLIFE WISDOM | FROM OUR RANGERS

Did you know the Latin name for snow drop, Galanthus Nivalis, literally translates as ‘milk flower of the snow’? Since the 1950s, Kew Gardens have been monitoring the growth of snowdrops. Back then they generally flowered in late February, these days it’s sometimes closer to January—an indication of the UK’s changing climate. For regular nuggets of wildlife wisdom, follow us on Facebook.

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HALF TERM AT THE CHAPEL

February half term is action-packed at Royal Victoria Country Park. There’s a mini-mystery for children to solve at the military hospital, plus a wet-wellie walk followed by story time for tired little ones! Call the Visitor Centre on 02380 455157 to find out more.

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THE WILD REMEDY

We loved this account of the healing power of nature. Grounded in personal experience and scientific studies, Emma Mitchell explores her struggle with depression, alongside humanity’s ‘innate urge to be among leafy, furred and feathered things.’

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