With Amy Martin of Sustrans

Get some fresh air

October half term is approaching, and with it the hunt for fun activities to keep the kids entertained and active throughout the school break.

So why not pull on your wellies, head out into the outdoors this half term, and get the kids exploring Swindon by foot or by bike with Sustrans’ free Autumn Orienteering and Wildlife Treasure Hunt activity packs?

The Autumn Orienteering packs will ask you to find a series of markers attached to lamp posts, railings or sign posts by using a map, with the locations marked, and a set of clues.

You can start and finish whenever you like, go at whatever pace suits you and, best of all, you can explore local cycle and walking paths that you might not even know exist.

There are three orienteering ‘rounds’ in Swindon – in Haydon Wick, Dorcan and West Swindon, all of which are seven-mile traffic free loops.

If exploring is your thing, then we also have Wildlife Treasure Hunt packs, which will take you on a tour around Swindon, discovering wild and wonderful places to play along the largely traffic-free National Cycle Network Route 45 which runs through the borough.

The aim of the treasure hunt is to complete at least one activity at each different site on the map provided, discovering your own autumnal wildlife treasures and taking photos as you go along by foot or by bike.

You can do the treasure hunt activities in any order you like and can even spread them out over several days.

Both the Autumn Orienteering and the Wildlife Treasure Hunt packs are a great way to get your children to discover the autumnal outdoors, while also a teaching them map-reading skills and how to explore safely. There are even prizes up for grabs for those who send completed activity sheets back to Sustrans.

All of the activity packs, complete with instructions, are available free of charge from Swindon Central Library, between October 18 and November 3. Packs can also be sent out by post, if requested by emailing Swindon@sustrans.org.uk For more information email Swindon@sustrans.org.uk or call 01793 600720.