10 Ways to Celebrate CPRE Sussex Countryside Day – Wherever You Are 

CPRE Sussex Countryside Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the landscapes, wildlife, and rural heritage that make Sussex so special. But you don’t need to be at our Countryside Day event at Knepp to take part! Whether you live in the countryside, a town, or a city, there are plenty of ways to connect with nature, support conservation, and enjoy the spirit of the countryside.

This guide offers ten themed activities that you can enjoy wherever you are — from walking and cooking to creative projects and community action. Each activity will help you engage with the countryside in a meaningful and enjoyable way.

Walking & Exploring 

1. Discover a Circular Walk 
Walking is one of the simplest and most rewarding ways to connect with nature. Sussex offers a wealth of circular walks through woodlands, downs, and coastal paths. Check out one of these routes to enjoy the peace and beauty of the outdoors.
See: www.sussexwalks.co.uk/medium-length-walks

2. Try Geocaching 
Geocaching adds a sense of adventure to your walk. Using GPS, you can hunt for hidden containers placed by other explorers. It’s a great way to discover new places and engage with the landscape in a playful, interactive way. See: www.geocaching.com/play

Cooking & Heritage 

3. Make a Sussex Pond Pudding
This traditional Sussex dessert is rich, warming, and steeped in local history. Made with suet pastry and a whole lemon, it’s a perfect treat for a cosy day indoors. Try cooking this classic Sussex recipe to celebrate our regional heritage and share it with your loved ones.
See: www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sussex_pond_pudding_51550 

4. Host a Countryside Cook-Up
Invite friends or family to prepare dishes using seasonal or locally sourced ingredients. Think honey, apples, elderflower, or wild herbs! You could also get creative with autumnal favourites like blackberries, plums, squash, mushrooms, and hazelnuts.

You can find a host of amazing Sussex-produced food and drink at; https://sussexfoodanddrink.org/

Art & Creativity 

5. Create Nature-inspired Art
Use your surroundings as inspiration for drawing, painting or photography. You could pick an area to focus on e.g. your local trees, wildflowers, birds, or landscapes, or create a series based on what you notice every time you go on your favourite local walk. Sharing your work online helps spread awareness and appreciation for the countryside – don’t forget to tag #countrysideday and @cpresussex!

6. Make your own Wild Art
Embrace your creative side and use natural objects to create your own wild art There’s no pressure, all you need to do is collect a few natural objects (leaves, pine cones, twigs – anything you can find!) and arrange it into a pattern of your choosing. You could choose to arrange objects by size, colour or shape or create your own circular mandala.

For some step-by-step inspiration, check out: www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zgvsvwx

Local Activism & Care  

7. Do a Litter Pick
Protect wildlife and beautify your local area by picking up litter. Whether you join a community clean-up or go solo, it’s a simple act that makes a big difference.
Search ‘Sussex litter pick’ to find a group event near you.

8. Take Part in the Great British Beach Clean 
From 19–28 September, join thousands of volunteers cleaning up UK beaches. Even if you’re not near the coast, you can support the initiative by cleaning up a local park or waterway.
See: www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/join-a-beach-clean/great-british-beach-clean/great-british-beach-clean-events/?latitude=50.8233397&longitude=-0.1362804&from_date=2025-09-19&to_date=2025-09-28

Children’s Activities 

9. Go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt
Turn a walk into an adventure by creating a challenge for you and your kids! You could each pick a colour and try to find that on your walk or try to find something that begins with each letter of the alphabet – or your names!

10. Five Senses in Nature 
It’s easy to walk quickly through a space without really stopping to notice what’s there. A great way of helping children (and adults) stop and enjoy a mindful moment in nature is to think of the five senses. Pick a spot and ask each other –what can we see? Hear? Smell? Touch? Taste? You could write this down and use Apps such as PlantNet and Merlin to help you learn what you can see and hear. There’s no wrong answer and hearing what others notice can lead to interesting conversations!