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here’s nothing on TV and you’ve finished reading all the newspapers (we’ve all been there). So how about heading outdoors and learning something new – like how to survive in the wild?

On Ray Mears ’ two-day survival training course you’ll learn how to make a shelter, build a fire and live off the trees and plants around you. Admittedly, you are in East Sussex, rather than the Australian Outback, but trust us, there’s plenty of nature to see.

Or perhaps you fancy yourself as a bit of a hot shot? At Greenfields Shooting Grounds in Kent, you can test your aim against fast-flying clay pigeons while soaking up the atmosphere in the quiet countryside. As an added bonus, there’s also a Norwegian-style shooting lodge, where you can enjoy a quick dram after a hard day out on the range.

But if it’s real birds you’re after – except for pigeons – then head for the Birds of Prey Centre in Cheshire, where you can practice Henry VIII’s favourite hobby, falconry. Armed with that all-important leather glove, you’ll be taught how to handle hawks, buzzards, eagles and, of course, falcons.

The climax comes at the end of the day, though, when you take a hawk out into the Cheshire countryside to hunt. Now that beats sitting on the sofa any day.