Five ideas for a perfect Mothering Sunday
March 11, 2022
This year, Mother’s Day is on 27 March 2022.
In the UK, Mother’s Day aka Mothering Sunday, always falls on the Fourth Sunday in Lent, meaning it changes every year.
This year, with it being later than normal, makes it the perfect opportunity to get outside with the whole family.
Here’s some ideas on where to go to enjoy a fabulous Mothering Sunday.
Best place to see new born lambs
It’s pretty much guaranteed that almost anywhere you go in the South Downs you’re bound to come across a sheep or two.
For most farmers, the spring lambing season begins in February and runs throughout March and early April.
Many farms will have their own lambing open days – search on Google to find your nearest one.
Saddlescombe Farm sits at the bottom of Devil’s Dyke and Newtimber Hill, just outside of Brighton. The current tenant farmers are Camilla and Roly Puzey, who have been at the National Trust-owned site since 2010.
The 7-mile walk from Devil’s Dyke to Ditchling Beacon, following the South Downs Way, goes right through Saddlescombe, meaning you’ll most certainly get the opportunity to see young lambs weeks or days old, frolicking on the open hillsides.
Check out our walks leaflet for Devil’s Dyke and Ditchling Beacon (including Saddlescombe).
Remember, if walking with dogs, keep them on the lead when near lambs, calves and other livestock.
Best place to see daffodils
Daffodils are the quintessential spring flower, their appearance marking the end of one season and the beginning of another.
Rows of daffodils are universal right across the South Downs but, perhaps the best setting to take in their visual display is Jane Austen’s House and Garden in Chawton, Hampshire.
The House is Austen’s final home, spending 8 years there, finessing her novels, before her passing on 18 July 1817.
The Head Gardener is Celia Simpson, who has been caring for it over the past 20 years, ensuring it remains beautiful throughout the year.
Best place for spring birds
Spring is special anywhere but especially at Seven Sisters Country Park.
Winter visitors such as wigeons, Brent geese, Black-tailed godwit and other migratory birds begin their journey north to breed in parts of Scandinavia, Scotland, Russia and Finland.
In their stead, summer migratory birds begin the journey to the UK from parts of southern Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East.
From March and April terns, water pipits and sand martins reappear, along with passing birds such as the curlew sandpiper, swallows and swifts.
Fulmars, kittiwakes and jackdaws will nest precariously on the cliffs, and amongst the chalk grassland, that famous South Downs songster – the skylark – will begin nesting.
The flight song of the skylark can be heard as they fly up to 1000ft in the air when the bird itself looks like a tiny speck. If you’re out and about today, try and listen out for one.
If walking with dogs, it is best to keep them on the lead to avoid disturbing groundnesting birds.
Best place for spring blossom
From around mid-March, if you look close enough at hedgerows and trees, you’ll see the beginning of their awakening.
In some cases, common tree blossom can appear overnight, dotting grey landscapes with clouds of pink and cream flowers, brightening the day and bringing with them awakened insects and birds, creating a symphony of spring sounds.
There’s perhaps no better place to experience this spectacle than at the National Trust-owned Hinton Ampner near Alresford, Hampshire.
Open throughout the year, Hinton Ampner isn’t just great for blossom but it is also one of the best places to see bluebells, which usually begin appearing in April and last through until May.
Best place to experience world-class wine
Across the South Downs National Park, locals and visitors can enjoy some of England’s finest wine, beer and gin crafted by award-winning producers.
The vineyards owe their success and inspiration to the chalky soils and fine climate providing a unique ‘flavour of the South Downs’.
In fact, grapes have been growing in the area, which is very similar to the Champagne region in France, since Roman times.
Why not treat your mum with an English wine tour at one of the many award-winning wineries in the South Downs?
Rathfinny Wine Estate near Alfriston in East Sussex, Wiston Estate near Washington in West Sussex and Hambledon Vineyard in Hampshire all offer tours and tastings within the beautiful South Downs landscape.