Flasks, sandwiches and a view: the British roadside picnic

Pack a flask where you can reach it. Decide who is bringing the cups. The view can wait until everyone has something to eat.

A flask is only useful if someone remembers the cups. This is the sort of detail that deserves a place in a motoring plan, preferably before departure.

A picnic gives a drive a stopping point with very little ceremony. You need food you want to eat, somewhere appropriate to sit and enough time to stop looking at the clock. The car has already done the difficult part by carrying everything there.

There is no single British picnic menu to get right. Make sandwiches at home, buy something along the way, or let each passenger choose part of lunch. Someone who has selected the cake is likely to take a helpful interest in finding a place to stop.

Buy lunch before you're hungry

For a Cheshire outing, The Hollies is one option for food shopping. Its farm shops and takeaway already feature in our short Cheshire itinerary. Check the branch and current arrangements before setting out; a familiar business name isn't a substitute for the right address.

Further north, a stop in Hawes could include the cheese shop at Wensleydale Creamery. Choose something you'd like to eat and build lunch around it. The visitor information distinguishes the shop from the ticketed Cheese Experience, so you can decide whether this is a quick food stop or a longer visit.

Bread, cheese and something sweet make an easy lunch. Add whatever your party needs, keep food appropriately chilled, and pack it so that the bread isn't carrying the weight of the drinks.

Bring a cloth or a few napkins. A small bag for the remains of lunch is more useful than a second elaborate picnic accessory. Put both somewhere you can find them.

The right sort of stop

The word “roadside” needs a little care. A farm gateway is somebody's access. A passing place has a job to do. Neither becomes a picnic spot because the landscape behind it looks inviting.

Look for designated parking and a place where visitors are welcome to stop. In Hawes, the National Park Visitor Centre lists a small picnic area alongside its car park and toilets. That is a straightforward option to check, especially when eating without a long walk suits the group. Hawes facilities

The photograph accompanying this article is a view of the Dales, not an instruction to park at the photographer's position. Finding a landscape and finding a suitable place to leave a car are separate tasks.

For a countryside stop in England or Wales, the Countryside Code is a useful guide. Leave access clear, follow local signs and take your rubbish away, including food scraps. The picnic we have in mind needs no fire or disposable barbecue.

If it rains

Lunch in a parked car can be entirely satisfactory. Choose a proper parking space, open the flask carefully and avoid putting the pickle where someone's coat is about to land. You can always take a walk afterwards if conditions improve.

If the weather makes the whole idea unappealing, buy lunch indoors. The sandwiches haven't entered into a binding agreement with the hillside.

Before driving away, put the lid back on the flask and check around the car for anything dropped. Leave the spot ready for the next person who remembered the cups.