Top 5 Valentine’s Day Activities

Fed up of the standard card, the boring shop bought flowers and sharing an intimate dinner squeezed in a restaurant of 40 other romancing couples? Take a look at our top tips for a Valentine’s Day with a difference. These quirky, original and fun ideas are sure to make your Valentine’s the best yet.

1.Take A Romantic Stroll
Spend some time with nature and your favourite person. Edinburgh’s locals are being invited to take a romantic ramble to celebrate Valentine’s Day this weekend, as the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) prepares to host a free open day at its Bawsinch and Duddingston Wildlife Reserve on Sunday 14 February 2010 from 11.00 am until 4.00 pm. Other Wildlife Trusts reserves across the UK will also be open- find you local Wildlife Trust today and make it a walk to remember!

2.A Meal with a Difference
Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres are holding their first Love Maggie’s Day next month, with their London centre especially delighted to have The River Café support Love Maggie’s Day by getting involved in helping fundraise. Offered alongside their usual a la Carte menu, customers will be able to try their Winter Set Lunch menu from Monday 18 January until Wednesday 31 March at a fabulous discount.

During this period they will be supporting Maggie’s London by asking their customers to make a donation to our lovely centre. To find out more about this offer, please visit their website. With two courses for £18 and three for £24 and a daily changing menu, the price includes drink and service.
Alternatively, how about an indoor picnic? Candles, a picnic rug, food that triggers memories and a selection of delicious deli nibbles…and of course, the obligatory bottle of wine!

3.Homemade, not Hallmark
Fed up with generic cards and bored of the usual tat? Make your own- either with good old fashioned cardboard and glue, make a photo collage or create a customised one at http://www.moonpig.com/. Frame your favourite date cinema ticket stubs along with the business card from your first date restaurant and any other personal memories you both share.

4.A romantic trip away…without the carbon footprint
Fancy a weekend away from it all, just the two of you? The Yorkshire Dales, with its sweeping views and stunning scenery, is about as romantic as you can get.  Choose from a list of hotels who partner with local charity Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and you won’t only have a fantastic weekend away, but you’ll be helping the charity by staying with the businesses that support them. See a list of the places to stay, eat and play here.

5.It’s the small things that count…
Re-enact your first date, have a couples massage, run them a bath and do everything you can think of to make the other person feel special. Give them an experience gift you can do together- from an extreme sport to a wine tasting evening, the list is endless. Enjoy, and let us know how you get on!
Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust all receive support from the People’s Postcode Lottery. Across the UK over £6 million has been raised for charities to date. Find out more at the People’s Postcode Lottery website.