Spring has arrived and the evenings are growing longer – why not stretch your horizons by taking part in some exciting outdoor activities, including yoga, swimming, surfing and ‘canicross’
THERE’S SOMETHING rather magical about the first spring evenings after the clocks go forward. Perhaps it’s a carry-over from childhood, but it feels like there’s a new sense of possibility in the air, as the days lengthen and the trees burst into leaf. If nothing else, it’s a chance to get the dog out for a walk after dinner. But why stop at a stroll around the block? With a bit of imagination, there’s any number of reasons to get outside and enjoy the lighter nights.
If the weather’s mild and you’re feeling brave, why not try a dip in the sea? Once you get over the initial shock of the cold, swimming as dusk falls on a still spring evening is an almost meditative experience. Wear a wetsuit if you must, but your swim will be all the more intense and exhilarating if you can bear to go without. For those who prefer more action, Irish big-wave surfer Al Mennie says that spring is a good time for beginners to master the basics of surfing.
“The best thing you can do if you only have a couple of hours after work before dark is stand up on a paddle-board,” he says. “You don’t necessarily need waves and because you don’t end up in the water as much as a surfer, you don’t get as cold. It’s a great way to exercise and get out on the water.”
Of course, you don't need to actually get into the sea at all if that feels like a chilly step too far. Mary Jennings, of Forget the Gym ( forgetthegym.ie), has just started her spring term of evening outdoor fitness classes in Dublin Docklands, Sandymount strand, Clontarf and Naas. Aimed at women who aren't sporty types, the main emphasis is on having a bit of sociable fun in the open air while gradually improving your personal fitness – and not a stuffy, sweaty gym in sight.
“Whether in the office or at home, people spend most of their time inside,” says Jennings. “This is about clearing your head and de-stressing in the fresh air, leaving everything behind you. It’s wonderful out on the beach, watching the sun set and the moon rise, and it means the exercise doesn’t feel as hard. The most difficult thing for people is getting out the door. Once they’re out, they’re hooked: it empowers them, they feel fresh and energetic and more awake.”
Gentler forms of exercise work well outdoors too. Elizabeth Welty, of Flow Yoga Studio in Belfast ( flowstudiobelfast.com) is planning a free vinyasa flow yoga session in the Botanic Gardens on Tuesday April 3rd at 6pm, to celebrate the lengthening spring evenings.
“Yoga is about connecting to yourself and the environment; to do it outside on a beautiful evening helps you bring more of the day in,” she says. Welty suggests simply standing outside, feet planted under the hips, and rotating the spine in six different directions: folding forward, leaning back, stretching from side to side and twisting gently to the right and the left. “Breathe, keep your belly strong, your heart lifted. You’ll really feel the difference.”
If you want to rope the dog into your evening activities (literally), why not try canicross? Mandy Hynes, of the Irish Federation of Sleddog Sports, says it’s a great way to keep yourself and your pet fit, and the perfect solution for large, energetic dogs that, as Hynes says, are inclined to “drag the arms off you”.
All you need is a specially-made, lightweight belt (available for around €20), a harness for the dog and a line to attach both of you together, and you’re off. Forest trails and beaches are ideal places to try canicross. It’s your choice whether you walk, jog or even sprint – though a little training may be necessary to make sure your dog stays in front of you and doesn’t dive off to the side in pursuit of other dogs or distracting smells.
Twilight falls slowly on the lengthening spring days, and on a balmy evening it's wonderful to watch the gradual change from day to night, which so often goes unwitnessed by most of us. Terry Lambert runs a programme of Full Moon Walks every month in Co Wicklow ( hilltoptreks.ie/fullmoon.htm), offering an opportunity to see some of the most scenic parts of Wicklow and Dublin (including Glendalough, Luggala and Djouce) by the light of the moon.
The next outing is on Good Friday, April 6th, meeting in Enniskerry at 8pm. “We’ll see the sun setting in the west and then the moon rising in the east, coming up over the Irish Sea,” says Lambert.
If you fancy a spot of stargazing, Venus, the evening star, is one of the highlights of the spring night-time sky. It will be visible, without binoculars, right through until the middle of May, and, according to Terry Mosely of the Irish Astronomical Association, it’s also worth looking out for a spring meteor shower on April 21st and 22nd. Leo is one of the best of the spring constellations, says Mosely.
It can be seen high in the southern sky, and includes the reddish-coloured planet Mars, and Regulus, a very hot bluish-white star. Watch out for Sirius, the dog star, which is the brightest in the sky, and easy to spot on spring evenings, twinkling to the left of Orion’s belt.
Birdsong is reaching its peak at this time of year, and while the exuberant dawn chorus is waking many of us up earlier than we’d like in the mornings, the slightly more muted evening chorus is easily overlooked.
Robins are known to be great late-night singers, and you’ll also hear blackbirds, wrens – who, despite their tiny size, put everything into their song, usually ending on a flamboyant trill – as well as thrushes and great tits.
Spring evenings are also a good time to get out with the camera – think late sunlight streaming through the branches of cherry-blossom trees – or even with a paint-box. If you’re out in the woods, keep an eye out for wild garlic, which is bursting out all over right now.
Grab a handful of the pungent leaves (be sure you know what you’re looking for, though: the poisonous wild arum, which looks a little similar, is also coming into leaf), take them home and make them into wild garlic pesto, whizzing the leaves up with olive oil, parmesan and pine nuts. Stirred through warm pasta, it makes an ideal spring dinner. A glass of chilled prosecco on the side would make it perfect.
Or why not go all out and round off the day with a sumptuous evening picnic? Fermanagh-based chef Liz Moore ( facebook.com/lizmoorecooks) recommends a rustic approach.
“Cut open a large baguette along the middle and make one enormous sandwich. Butter it and stuff it with beef or ham, tomatoes, salad, radishes, mustard, mayo, chives or whatever tickles your fancy. Flatten it slightly and wrap it up in greaseproof paper. Bring a knife along or just allow everyone to pull bits off it, it’s much more fun than ordinary sandwiches.”
If you’re by the sea, Moore suggests cooking potatoes in a pot of seawater, to be served with lashings of butter, and maybe a few barbecued sausages with home-made relish. Finally, for something a little more sophisticated, Moore recommends “a pot of chicken rilletes or coarse country pate, some crisp white wine, freshly baked bread and a spring salad – and don’t forget the chocolate biscuits for pudding.”
