7 Things To Do On ANGLESEY This Autumn - Family Photoshoot North Wales
7 Things To Do In North Wales This Autumn - family Photoshoot North Wales
We’re at the start of a second summer it seems! And after everything that this year has thrown at us, it’s always nice to wake up to the sun shining. I’m not really sure of the science, but I definitely think that the heat in April, May and June have helped Autumn on its merry way this year. I remember thinking in late September a couple of years ago that the trees were still very green and that the temperture was still high. Well, not this year! I do love Autumn - the colours, the chill in the air, the crunch of the leaves. It’s also a really busy time of year in my business as clients are keen to have the colours of nature reflected in their family photos and start to think about using the images from their Autumn Sessions as gifts for their family Christmas presents.
Running a business and juggling family life is definitely a balancing act and I try to make lists of activities at the start of each season or school holiday to make sure that I make the most of the time I have to spend with my family. So at the start of this season, I thought I’d share with you some of the activities that I’m hoping to do with my daughter this Autumn.
1. Go blackberry picking.
This should be the first thing on your list to do! If you leave it past mid-September, they’ll probably all be gone. We love picking blackberries, but because I have a bit of a thing about germs, we always take them home, soak them for a few hours in salt water and then use them to bake! Our favourite recipe is for apple and blackcurrant flapjacks but instead of using the dermerera sugar, we use half a tin of condensed milk. Yum!
2. Collect conkers, pinecones, leaves and acorns.
We love going out to the park in search of autumnal goodies, and this activity is so easy to adapt to the age of your children. We find that Plas Newydd is usually full of conkers and pinecones from mid-September onwards, while the country lanes around Anglesey are laden with acorns. After collecting, get creative! We love the ideas on The Imagination Tree for autumn crafts, as well as using pinecones to create Christmas decorations. Two years ago, my daughter planted an acorn she’d found with her Grandad, and it’s growing nicely into an Oak tree, measuring around 50cm this year!
3. Pick and carve a pumpkin.
Okay, so this isn’t something you can do in Cardiff exactly, but if you don’t mind travelling a bit, then there are a few options where you can PYO. This year, I’m excited that Forage Farm Shop near Cowbridge have their own Pumpkin Patch, and I’ll be running mini sessions here at the end of September before it opens to the public. If you’re stuck for ideas on how to carve your pumpkins once you get them home, this blog has some really good tips and photos for inspiration.
4. Make soup with local produce.
If you don’t fancy carving your pumpkin, you could always add it to a lovely warming veggie soup. We are really lucky in Cardiff that even though we live in a city, we have quite a few places that stock locally grown veg. Forage Farm Shop in the Vale sells amazing quality, locally grown veg, and there’s a kitchen cafe and gorgeous play area there too. Thornhill Farm Shop in Cardiff is also worth a visit if you’re city based. While you’re stocking up on veg for your autumn soup, the children can go and see the animals in their paddocks. When I was a teacher I used to love making these hedgehog bread rolls with the children. They’re so easy to make, even toddlers will be able to help, and they’re perfect for dipping into the soup.
5. Go for an autumn walk.
This might seem like a really obvious thing to do, but when was the last time you went for a walk just to go for a walk? Not to take the dog out, not to get to somewhere, not on the way to the park, but just to get some fresh air. I discovered last year this amazing area on the My Cardiff website that lets you input your postcode and find out loads about local area. But it’s not the bin collection days that I got excited about (I’m not that old yet). After inputting your postcode, click the ‘My Maps’ tab at the top of the page. After clicking ‘Transport and Travel’, choose ‘Public Rights of Way’ and watch the map light up with all the purple paths that are accesible to the public across the whole county! It’s so easy from there to plan a walk that’s suitable for your family and you can make it as short or as long as you like. If you think there are loads of options on the Cardiff website, wait till you see the My Vale of Glamorgan website…
(copyright Jon Butters)
6. Visit Margam Park.
Margam Country Park is lovely at any time of year, with the animal trail, adventure playpark, fairytale village and castle to explore. But in the autumn, not only do you get to experience the beautiful scenery changing colour, but if you’re lucky, you might see the deer rutting too. The park rangers are really helpful and if you’ve never been before or are unsure where to spot the deer, they will usually point you in the right direction and give you advice on how to keep safe when you’re close to these majestic but powerful animals. This is on my list of things to do this year and I’m planning on taking my camera so that I can get some shots like this! Dusk and dawn are the best times to see the deer, and as the park doesn’t close until 4pm over the winter season, the chances are you might catch a glimpse of these lovely animals at last light.
7. Watch an autumn sunset.
As the nights draw in and sunset gets earlier during the countdown to the shortest day, this could be the perfect time of year for your children to see a beautiful sunset without having to get to bed at 10pm. Cardiff Bay barrage is a lovely spot for watching the sunset, but if you can head further afield, being out of the city makes sunsets that little bit more magical. There are several apps and websites that will tell you what time the sun sets on any given day, and you need to aim to be where you want to be 30 minutes before the sun actually sets (it sinks below the horizon quicker than you’d imagine!). Places that we love to watch the sun go down are Kenfig Nature Reserve, near North Cornelly, and Dunraven Bay, Southerndown.
Hopefully you’re found at least one new thing on this list to try this Autumn! If you’ve got an activity that your family loves, please do let me know in the comments section below - we love exploring new places and trying new things!
Clare x
About Me
Hi, I’m Clare, a family photographer in North Wales who loves working outdoors with natural light. I cover Anglesey, North Wales and Cheshire for maternity, newborn, child and family photoshoots. Get in touch if you’d like to book your family’s photoshoot in North Wales, I can’t wait to meet you!
