So it might be raining and miserable. The amount of sunlight visibly decreasing from day to day and with even the rays hitting the ground having no power anymore. Or it could be beautifully sunny. With bit of warmth and an array of stunnig colours everywhere you look. The trees in bright yellows, reds, and browns. And the streets coated with the already fallen leaves.
Autumn has arrived.
While this season can be one of the most bleak, horrible and depressing seasons at least up here north in Scandinavia, it is one of my favourites. After a sunny summer, it feels great to wrap up in woolly jumpers again and get a fresh start after a slow and more relaxed season. And more often than not, we head to
the great outdoors.
Here are some of my favourite things to do outside in the autumn, what are yours?
10 x Outdoors in the Autumn
- Go for a walk or hike to a new local destination. We live right by the mountains so this is easy for us, there is always a new spot to explore. But even if you live in the city, why not drive outside the city boarders and see what you can find?
- Visit the local amusement park. We did this the past weekend and I have also previously visited Disneyland Paris in the off season with bit of bad weather. And both occassions were amazing. No queues. No crowds. Just pure fun.
- Pick berries & mushrooms. In the Scandinavian countries we have something called “Everyman’s Rights” which means that you can pick wild berries, mushrooms and flowers, as long as they are not protected species. So needless to say, this is the perfect season to fill up the freezer with some natural goodies.
- Go for a bike ride. Instead of always hopping in the car for the convenience of it, dust of the bike and go for a bike ride. It is fun, surprisingly quick and you get fit by doing it!
- Grill outdoors. Grilling is quintessentially a summer thing to do. But when the evenings get darker it is also great fun to do bit of autumnal grilling, wrapped up in blankets in candle light.
- Find an outdoor swimming pool. Cold air. Heated swimming pool. A delicious combination!
- Dip in the lake and warm up in the sauna. I know, this is not doable for everyone. But if you know of a lakeside spot with a sauna, I highly recommend a trip there this autumn. Warming up in the sauna after a cold dip in the lake feels so refreshing, that this good feeling stays with you for a long time afterwards. And if you don’t know of such spot, why not plan your first visit to Finland?
- Travel. Weekend city-breaks in the autumn follow the same formula as a visit to the amusement park. Less crowds. Less heat. More fun. We are soon actually heading to Portugal to enjoy the warmth of the autumn outside the main tourist season and this is definitely something to look forward to!
- Sing in the rain. If all else fails and it just keeps pouring outside, get some inspiration from the 1950’s classic movie, put on those waterproofs and head outside anyway, even if just for a little while. Singing optional.
- Stay inside. Had enough of outdoors for this autumn? Stay inside instead, enjoy the warmth and live a little, enjoying the change of seasons at home.
