What to Look For in a Brookside Picnic Spot

A good brookside picnic begins with the bank, not the basket. You want a flat, grassy shelf that sits a metre or so above the water, with short turf rather than tussocks, so your rug lies flat and mugs do not tip. Dappled shade from alder, willow or ash is ideal: it keeps you cool, softens the glare, and gives children a place to retreat when the sun is high. Look for a shallow, gravel-bottomed stretch where the water runs clear and no deeper than a child's welly. Riffles — the rippled, noisy bits — mean moving water, fewer midges and a safe, visible bottom.

Walk the last hundred metres on foot before you commit. Check for:

• Firm, level ground with no hidden holes or roots.
• A gentle entry slope into the water, not a crumbling drop.
• No livestock crowding the bank, and no fresh cow pats nearby.
• No blue-green algae — a paint-like scum or pea-soup colour means keep out and keep dogs out.
• Escape routes for children: open grass behind, not a road or a barbed fence.

Reading the Water Before You Unpack

Shallow is the word. A brook that barely covers your boots is a brook you can supervise. Deep pools, undercut banks and weirs are not picnic territory. If the water is tea-coloured after rain, or if the flow has picked up, move upstream to a smaller tributary or save the spot for a drier day. Fast water can rise within minutes in a summer storm, even if the sky above you is blue.

Look, too, for signs of life that reward a quiet sit: mayflies dancing, a dipper bobbing, caddis cases stuck to stones. Point them out to children, but leave them where they are. Turning over a single stone is fine if you put it back exactly as it was; rebuilding the whole stream bed is not. A small hand lens turns a routine paddle into a safari.

Kit That Earns Its Place

Pack for wet feet and changeable weather. A waterproof-backed rug or a small tarpaulin under a blanket keeps bottoms dry on damp grass. Add:

• A flask of hot tea or squash, and refillable bottles — no single-use plastic.
• A spare pair of socks and a towel per child, plus a bin bag for wet kit.
• Sun hats, midge repellent and a basic first-aid kit with tweezers for ticks.
• A small trowel and loo roll in case of emergency — bury nothing near the water.
• Walking shoes or wellies with grip; flip-flops and wet stones do not mix.

A lightweight groundsheet doubles as a rain shelter if a shower blows through, and a length of cord makes a washing line for soggy socks.

Food That Leaves No Trace

The best brookside food is robust, shareable and packaging-free. Think pasties, sausage rolls, wedges of cheese, oatcakes, cherry tomatoes, grapes, and a fruit cake that survives a rucksack. Use reusable tubs and beeswax wraps instead of cling film. Avoid glass, which shatters on stones, and avoid anything that melts into a sticky mess.

Take every scrap home, including apple cores, banana skins, crusts and eggshells. They are not natural to the brook and they attract rats and wasps. Never feed bread to ducks or fish: it fouls the water and can cause disease. Wash your hands or use sanitiser before eating, especially after paddling. And never wash plates or pans in the brook — carry the dirty dishes home.

For drinks, bring a flask of tea and water in refillable bottles. Avoid fizzy cans: they attract wasps and the ring pulls get lost in grass. If you fancy something cold, freeze a bottle of squash overnight — it doubles as an ice pack.

Keeping Children Safe and Happy by the Water

Set the rules before anyone gets wet. Children stay within sight and shouting distance, no one goes deeper than welly height, and nobody walks on slippery stones alone. A grown-up stands downstream of the smallest child. Pooh sticks from a footbridge, stone skimming, and a race to spot five water creatures are all the entertainment a brook needs. A whistle carries further than a voice when the brook is loud; teach children to blow it if they need help.

Leave dams to the beavers, or at least build a small one that you dismantle before leaving. Do not move stones that are clearly part of a creature's home, and never take fish, newts or crayfish away in a bucket.

Leaving the Brook as You Found It

Before you go, do a slow circle. Pick up any litter, even if it is not yours. Check you have not left a sock, a hair bobble or a sandwich wrapper behind. Close gates, use stiles and kissing gates properly, and keep dogs on a lead near livestock and nesting birds. No fires, no disposable barbecues, no music. Tread lightly on the bank: repeated trampling turns a grassy shelf into a muddy slide within a season. The brook is a small, busy world; leave it quiet, clean and cool for the next family, and for the mayflies.