You have over 7,000 nerve endings in each of your feet. We have been putting them to good use with a real tingle, thanks to Kew Garden’s barefoot walk.

We have come across barefoot experiences in a small village in Austria, and again, this summer around a mountainside lake in Switzerland, and we think it is great they are now appearing in the UK. Most of us know how it feels to walk across a sandy beach or feel the cool dew on the grass when we tip toe in the garden in the early morning. Until recently that has been the limit of our barefoot experience. So well done to Kew Gardens for creating this wonderful walk.

If you are a barefoot virgin then you have to take off socks and shoes. Bare legs up to the knees are also advisable. You then walk, stand, run, skip or dance on the various textures and surfaces that you encounter.

My sons favourite part was of course the mud (Note to self – next opportunity maybe we should get those wellies off and just go barefoot) Of course, our noses were also working overtime here.

We had a go at the section where you had to close your eyes and trust your other senses to guide you. In some ways this was the part I found most difficult. The experience was very isolating and a bit scary.

Washing all that mud off at the end was a sensory experience in itself. Our feet felt beautiful, though it was definitely bathtime that evening.

We are linking up this post with Countrykids at Coombemill and with the Outdoor Play Party