Mumsnet users share the times bad weather has turned their days out into adventures with Arla Big Milk

[JustineBMumsnet]

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Sometimes the thought of rain or heavy wind on a day out can make us want to stay indoors and curl up with a film. But, if bad weather catches you by surprise it might even turn your day out into an adventure. Arla Big Milk would like to hear about the adventures you’ve had because of bad weather.

Here’s what Arla Big Milk has to say: “We know how important it is to get your little explorers out in the world around them, so we’ve partnered with Magic Light to bring you yearlong BIG Adventures. We’re also running an on pack monthly prize draw, available across UK grocery retailers, to give you the chance to win an amazing trip to Chessington World of Adventures Resort. Helping to fuel these BIG Adventures, Arla Big Milk is simply fresh whole milk that’s enriched with essential nutrients. So, if you want to join in on the adventure rain or shine, come visit our site to explore activities for your half term.”

Have you raced to find shelter in the woods when you’ve encountered an unexpected downpour? Perhaps you’ve embraced the rain and gone puddle jumping with your children? Maybe you’ve seen a new side to nature when you’ve been out in the wind and rain? Share below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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We were at forest school recently when it started raining incredibly heavily. All the adults ran in the little shelter but the kids loved it. My son grabbed one of the diggers and was playing in all the rain that was overflowing from the guttering. He had a whale of a time.

We visited Wales for a family holiday some years ago. Knowing the time of year, we ought to have known better - but I had planned lots of activities out of doors - visiting castle ruins, etc.
It rained for pretty much the whole week, so much of our time was spent indoors playing boardgames, cafe hopping & making the most of every soft play centre we could find!
By the final day of our holiday - we thought we might as well just embrace it - donned our wellies & macs & raced round in the nearby woodland - well aware we would get absolutely soaked, but determined we were going to get the outdoor holiday we'd been hoping for!
It was easily the best day of the holiday & I wish we had braved it before! Playing hide & seek & tearing round the forest whooping like wild things!
We headed back to the holiday house soaked to the skin, but rosy cheeked & joyful! The best bit is that a hot bath is always soo much better when you've been out in the cold & wet :)

We live in Scotland and often go out exploring in most weathers, we went out a while ago with high bitter winds my girls loved it and we warmed ourselves with some hot chocolate after. You wouldn't know how cold it was from the pictures, happy memories!

We had a week in Cornwall once during the month of August and typically, despite the time of year, it rained heavily at times. We were renting a cottage and it was super cosy and when it wasn't raining we ventured out in the car to little coves or to nearby villages/seaside towns where a cosy warm pub could be found if another downpour came along.. it was lovely!

four seasons in one day where we live. we are usually in or near woodland which is fairly dense. the DCs and dog like the excitement of the run in the rain

We had a wonderful time sheltering under a big cedar tree in the rain on a country walk. The branches were like large canopies and it felt magical crouching down together listening to the downpour a few feet away.

We made one post Christmas visit to the pantomime - in the snow (The show must go on!) Unfortunately the trains home weren't running, so we walked the four miles home, via a couple of pubs, a farmer's field where we made snow angels, the local chip shop and then home for hot chocolate and mulled wine to warn up. It goes to show that sometimes you just have to do these things, even if your instinct (and the weather!) tells you otherwise!

Going on nemesis at alton towers in the snow!

We had a superb walk in a deep dale where all the trees were covered in green moss and there were fallen ones to scramble over and it looked like the land that time forgot. A heavy rain shower coincided with our arrival at a cave up on the hillside and we stood in our den all cosy and dry as it poured down outside. Absolutely unforgettable!

We went to a friends wedding in Scotland a few years ago and on heading home it started to snow and it came down fast. We made our way very slowly off the motorway which was now barely moving and found a hotel nearby and booked in to there. The hotel was fantastic with a pool etc and we were out playing in the snow for the next two days as we were totally stuck and had a fantastic unexpected few days.

we live in a rural location so wet weather is great for putting on wellies and going out and seeing all the local wildlife especially insects

Looking forward to a quiet pool day on holiday in Florida after running ourselves ragged round the parks.
We all got settled down & the heavens opened!!
No way were we moving again, we just hit the hot tub & waited it out!

In cancelled I started the 3 mile walk home which is usually ok but trying to pull my assignment in my wheeled case was almost impossible. Also, I could not see the curbs and I fell off a curb a lady came to my aid she got me to A&E,. She stayed me the whole time after 6 hours I had a broken ankle . The adventure is that lady is now my best friend and we have done so much together. We have Joined a dance class been on family holidays started new hobbies all sorts of things I would never have done alone.

We went camping once on the south coast and were completely engulfed in thick sea fog for three days. We invented a new version of hide and seek by running around the campsite with torches trying to find the DC's. No need for actual hiding places as the minute the torches went out, they completely disappeared!

Planned a beach picnic on a lovely July afternoon. we were having loads of fun, but the real good times started when the heavens opened and everything got drenched! the children thought it was hilarious and we managed to construct a makeshift shelter out of the picnic blanket and beach towels. Such happy memories

When I was 11 me and my family went on holiday to Cornwall as we did every year. Mum, Dad, Nan, Ganka, me and my younger sister were enjoying our Cornish break when we decided one bright summer morning to hire bikes. We’d ride from a place called Weybridge, up the estuary to the picturesque harbour town of Padstow. The ride there was a pleasure, beautiful scenery, wild life surrounding us and the sound of sea as our soundtrack to the journey. We got to our destination, locked the bikes up on the already overcrowded bike rails and set off to enjoy a couple of hours exploring. As time ticked by my sister and I enjoyed spending our holiday money on shell bracelets and "Fat Willy's" surf T-shirts. We all grew hungry and thirsty so into a traditional Cornish pub we stumbled. Pasty's and pints (replace with pop for us kids) were consumed followed by a few more pints, one for the road and all that. Yes that’s the kind of family we are. Before we knew it, the pub had emptied and it was time for us to leave. To our complete surprise the usually bustling town of Padstow had also emptied. And it was glaringly obvious as to why. As we stood in the door way, putting our coats on and checking for pasty crumbs we were greeted by the heaviest rain storm you could get. You know, the type of rain that bounces off the ground and surrounding beer garden tables. The type that causes flash floods in the blink on an eye. The type that makes riding a bike virtually impossible. So there we stood watching the down pour, each of us dreading the inevitable journey that lay in front of us. We made a run for it, past the fudge shop, through the now empty harbour front and towards the well used lobster pots which rested next to the virtually vacant bike rails. And there stood our lonely family of bikes, dripping with rain and already looking exhausted. We quickly unlocked them, the rain lashing against our faces making my mums mascara spread down her face and my new trimmed for holiday fringe stick to my forehead. We set off on what seemed like the longest bike ride of all time. I remember feeling beyond wet, beyond soaking, like my bones had actually got drenched by this unexpected down pour. The sound of the waves gently lapping the banks was now replaced by thunderous eruptions and the clatter of wheels splashing through puddles. Needless to say that it took us much longer to ride back than we'd planned. As we finally approached the bike rental unit the lone shop worker was expectedly waiting for us so he could finally go home. A puzzled look in his face as he wondered what the hell we were doing pedalling back in this storm when most of his other customers had had the sense to leave before the down pour. We were indeed soaked to the bone (past the skin by this point). As we sheepishly hurried back to car, I remember someone started laughing. Then we all joined in. We laughed and laughed. Because we were wet through to our pants. Because my mothers face was now streaked with so much black she could easily have spent a day down the mines. Because is was special. That day, when a simple bike ride turned into an adventure. A battle through the storm to return to our base! I now have two children of my own and they love hearing about this story. The rainy bike ride. I’m sure if the rain had stayed away that day we would’ve had a perfectly enjoyable time but I’m not sure I would remember it quite as fondly as I do now

I actually love the rain and bad weather as it keeps the crowds away. Last year went to the zoo on a day with awful rain. We ended up having a lovely time watching the elephants play in the rain and beating the queues to look around. Lots of fun all round.

We had booked to take DS to Legoland to see Father Christmas in December 2017. The snow started falling the evening before we were due to travel and we hoped it wouldn't cause too much disruption but when we woke up the next morning we knew there was no chance we were going to make it to Legoland. The roads were too dangerous and the snow was still falling. We had paid £120 for tickets and I was upset over DS missing out but he didn't mind! We put our scarves and gloves on and went out in the garden to build a snowman, then came back inside for hot chocolates and movies. I got an email from Legoland later that day to let us know they understood people had missed out on using their tickets due to the weather and that they would honour our tickets for another three weeks. So when the weather was better we still managed to take DS after all

We went to visit a castle about 15 miles away with the kids, in laws and primary school aged cousin. The field we parked in was saturated already so we trudged up to the castle but actually had a great time. Then it started pouring down we dashed back to the car only to find that it was stuck in the mud! FIL had to run back in, and then a local farmer with a tracker and chains rocked up to drag the car out. Meanwhile we're all soaking wet waiting in the car.

I've never seen the kids so excited. They always talk about getting the car stuck again as if it's now something we should do on purpose to get a tow!

We went camping in Cornwall and the weather was like a monsoon. After two days and nights of soggy clothes and soggy beds we gave up and checked into a nice warm and dry hotel!

We were on holiday in disney and nothing not a huge downpour was going to stop us going on as many rides as possible.

Has to be the rainy day by husband dragged us up a mountain in the Lake District and fell into a bog so deep I had to drag him out

We like to go on a family walk every Sunday. One weekend, after hearing it was going to rain, we chose a shorter route than usual through the woods, ended up getting lost and finding a beautiful new route through the countryside that we now stick to every week! We didn't care that it was pouring, we were covered in mud and slipping and sliding all over the place; it was so fun and the vista was amazing!

We're lucky enough to live near some great beaches. Dressed appropriately, the weather never stops us. In fact rainy days are sometimes preferable as it keeps away the crowds. Our favourite things to do are rock pooling and to collect sea glass

We had an incredible (though slightly terrifying!) experience in rural France when I was heavily pregnant. We were staying there with friends and, as structured entertainment is few and far between in that area of France, we were pretty excited to find a 'human-powered train'. Sounded intriguing and the weather was nice albeit cloudy, so off we went with a picnic...Turned out it was a St Trinians-esque pallet with a pump mechanism that 2 people had to pump whilst the other 2 sat, to get us around miles and miles of rickety woodland old rail tracks. We were having a laugh and quite enjoying it. I was getting the easy ride as in my massively upduffed state, I wasn't doing any pumping. When the heavens literally opened totally out of the blue. It was like something from a film, sky just turned totally black, thunder, pouring rain and there we are in the middle of the French countryside miles from anywhere. I was rather emotional anyway so started wailing about the fate of our unborn baby, the menfolk started pumping like a Laurel & Hardy cameo as the trees swayed all over the place and myself and my friend clung to the pallet, getting rocked about. After half an hour of rain, pumping and no sign of civilisation, we spotted a small house. Fortunately, DH speaks French so he jumped off our pallet, ran to the house and gabbled about how we Stoopeed Eengliish had got ourselves caught short on the tourist train in a storm. A very sweet little French couple hurried us in, gave us lots of towels, coffee, and an adorable fluffy dog to cuddle. I do think the little old man was slightly concerned we were there to mug him, and DH says the lady asked if my waters had broken as I dripped all over her floor, but they were total saints. Even better - it turned out everyone knows everyone within a 2 hour radius there, and they knew the woman who owned the tourist train, so they called her to come pick up her crazy pumping pallette and drove us back to our car and the warmth of a roaring fire back at the cottage! Awesome - soggy! - memories.