Wherever you are in the country even in the middle of big cities, you are surrounded by nature, whether or not you can see it at first glance. A nature trek is a walk where you are looking out for this and learning about the world around you in new ways.

Wild flowers grow everywhere though you may have been taught to think of them as weeds. Start looking at what is growing out of walls or through the cracks in the pavements. Which of the plants attract insects and are there some that only grow in specific places? The Wild About Britain website can help you identify what you see.

The trees you can see are also very important on your nature treks. As well as having different leaves and bark from each other and possibly producing some excellent things to play with - a game of conkers anyone? - they will be home to many other types of wildlife including birds, insects and maybe small mammals.

The beauty of a nature trek is that no trek is ever the same twice, even if you are taking exactly the same route. Wild blackberries may be small and hard one week, and plump and juicy the next - and a week after that, gone completely. Different insects will be around at different times and the colours of leaves and flowers change constantly.

If you have a digital camera it might be a good idea to take it with you on your nature trek. You can take pictures of anything interesting you see and use the photo for identification at home - plus if you record things regularly you'll see the way the seasons change the world around you. If you go on a long trek don't forget to take some snacks with you, unless you decide to take your nature trek one step further and go foraging for food, which isn't recommended unless you know what is poisonous and what is safe to eat.

To help you identify the nature you come across, look at www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk.

Click here to download a PDF of the 'N' page of the ABC of Family Adventures