Seize The Day

Eaten too much? Bored of charades? It’s time to wrap up and get out there. CHRISSY HARRIS looks at what you could do on Christmas Day in Devon

MANY will recoil in horror at the very thought of leaving the house on December 25. But with so much great outdoors and so many calories to use, it would be a shame not to get off the sofa for a couple of hours.

At some stage between that last mince pie and the first round of the snoring competition, why not head out for a quick dip in the sea, a 10km cycle ride or a beachcombing session?

“It’s good to be able to get away from it all and go exploring,” says Steve Hussey from Devon Wildlife Trust, who recommends a nature walk to blow away the cobwebs (watch out for spiders, though).

The Exe Reed Beds is home to an amazing array of wildlife and is the place to look out for large starling mumurations, huge synchronised acrobatic displays of the birds each dusk and dawn.

Catch the late afternoon calls of from territorial tawny owls at Ashculm Turbary, near Hemyock and lookout for redwings and fieldfares in the county’s hedges.

If you’re near the coast, Stephen Hussey suggests a beachcomber.