Get stuck into '50 things'

Discover the top 10 things to do around Arnside and Silverdale as part of '50 things to do before you're 11 3/4'. Get outdoors, tick off some exciting activities and don't forget to share your photos with us!

1. Get to know a tree (#1 ’50 things’)

Can you guess how tall it is or work out who lives there?

We love trees and we’ve got some really special ones in Eaves Wood and Arnside Knott. Which one is your favourite? On Arnside Knott look out for the ‘h’ tree which you’ll find near the path at the top of the Knott. It was once a pair of larch trees which had been knotted together. It’s quite old and fragile today. There are some great, twisty old yew trees on Arnside Knott which are just great for climbing and some tall beech trees in Eaves Wood which you can wrap your arms round. Try putting your ear to its trunk for a few minutes and listen to all the noises inside. Creaks and knocks and clicks. Our trees are home to so much wildlife. From mosses which cover the branches to insects living in the bark.

Arnside Knott knotted larch — Knotted larch tree Arnside Knott

2. Build a den (#4 ’50 things’)

Are you a budding builder?

Look around Eaves Wood in Silverdale or Red Hills Wood in Arnside and see the dens that have already been made. You can add to those or start from scratch on your epic design. Maybe you could try making a tipi or a den your family can fit into. What about a tiny design for a wild animal? Wildlife loves to make a home in the piles of sticks and poles our rangers leave behind after they have worked in the woods. Think about all the habitats and homes our wildlife live in too. From drystone walls to hollows in trees to burrows under ground.

Arnside and Silverdale Build a den — Build a den

3. Eat a picnic in the wild (#9 ’50 things’)

Fancy a sandwich?

Food ALWAYS tastes better when you’re outdoors especially when you’ve been doing lots of running around and you’ve built up a hunger! Get yourself comfy on the ground or find an old log to sit on and eat your lunch with all the wildlife around you. If it’s hot, find shade under a tree or sit on a hill like Arnside Knott and look out at the view. While everyone’s busy eating, listen quietly to everything that’s around you. As you sit still all the wildlife starts to come out and carry on with their day.

Arnside and Silverdale Outdoors Sandwich — Eat a picnic in the wild

4. Have fun with sticks (#12 ’50 things’)

Lay an awesome trail for your friends.

Eaves Wood, with all its different paths is a great place to set a trail for your friends to follow. Start off with 3 sticks and make arrows on the ground to show people which direction to go. Remember to put it somewhere they can see it or make it even harder for them and just leave the odd clue like a snapped stick so they know where you have been. Where is your trail going to end? Find a good spot where you can all meet up.

5. Get up for the sunrise (#23 ’50 things’)

Set your alarm for sunrise!

It’s really exciting waking up early and being outdoors when nobody else is and having the place to yourself. Plan your route to take you somewhere with a hill and a view like Arnside Knott or the Pepperpot at Eaves Wood or look out over Morecambe Bay from Jack Scout. Don’t forget the sun rises in the East so from Arnside and Silverdale look across towards the Yorkshire Dales. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife as you head up your hill, you might see a shy deer or a fox finishing its night shift. Listen out for the first birds to start singing early in the morning. Is it a robin or a blackbird? Hopefully you’ll get to see some beautiful colours across the sky. Remember to take a photo if you have a camera.

Arnside and Silverdale Sunrise photo — Sunrise over Arnside

6. Climb a huge hill (#28 ’50 things’)

Get your boots on and gear up for a climb

Arnside Knott is a super hill to climb up. You know that when you get to the top you’ll be rewarded with the wonderful views across to the Lakeland fells, Morecambe Bay and Yorkshire Dales plus there’s more than one way to get up! Try all the different routes and see which one you like the best.

Arnside and Silverdale view under tree and hill — Arnside Knott

7. Go cloud watching (#33 ’50 things’)

Do you know your cirrus from your nimbus?

You can watch clouds at any time of year. See stormy wintry clouds rumble across the skies over Morecambe Bay in the winter or lay back on a summer’s day and see what shapes you can see in the clouds above you. What type of cloud is it? Is it a wispy cirrus cloud high up in a blue sky or a big white fluffy tower cloud?

Arnside and Silverdale Cloud watching — Go cloud watching

8. Discover wild animal clues (#34 ’50 things’)

How many different animal species can you find?

Eaves Wood, Jack Scout and Arnside Knott are so special for wildlife. Look out for the Southern Wood Ant nests and see the ants carrying around twigs and food back to their nests. They’re much bigger than other ants and can’t be seen any further north in the country than Arnside and Silverdale. Can you see any deer tracks or smell the musty scent of a fox in Eaves Wood? Look at grass stems how have they been nibbled down? Deer rip the grass when they eat it whereas rabbits make a neat cut with their sharp front teeth. Can you find any hazelnut shells on the ground with holes in? These could have been eaten by wood mice. Try keeping a record of what you’ve found.

ants nest at Arnside Knott — Ants on Arnside Knott

9. Watch a bird (#44 ’50 things’)

Would you like to be an amateur ornithologist?

Have you ever watched a woodpecker drilling its hole or seen a curlew suck up a worm? There are lots of places to watch birds in Arnside and Silverdale. Look out for the wading birds by the coast at Jack Scout like oystercatchers and ringed plovers or woodland birds in Eaves Wood like nuthatches and great tits. Or maybe hear the green woodpecker ‘yaffling’ as it finds tasty ants nests on Arnside Knott. Try sitting or standing quietly when you’re outdoors and listen out for the different bird calls. Are you starting to recognise any?

Arnside and Silverdale Birdwatching — Watch a bird

10. Watch the sunset (#49 ‘50things’)

Relax and watch the sun go down

At the end of a day’s exploring look out over Morecambe Bay and watch the sky change colour from blues to pinks to oranges and reds. It looks like it’s slowly melting into the sea and everything becomes a buttery yellow. Even when the sun has gone down over the horizon line the colours in the sky are quite magical.