Alexandra Park

East of Ipswich, Alexandra Park is a proper slice of green space that gives you the feeling you've stumbled onto something locals know but tourists miss. It's a nature reserve - the kind of place where you'll see waterfowl, reed beds, and if you're lucky, the occasional heron picking through the shallows. The walking trails wind through woodland and along wetland edges, nothing strenuous, just pleasant rambling that takes anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours depending on which loop you fancy.

This works brilliantly for families wanting a break from theme park chaos, or birdwatchers with binoculars at the ready. The space doesn't demand much - no queues, no entrance fees tacked on, just free access to green. Bring a bird guide and a flask, and you'll have an honest afternoon. It's not dramatic or showy, which is exactly its strength.

If you're based at one of the nearby caravan and camping sites - Newbourne Woodland Campsite is closest at under six miles, or Priory Park if you want something nearer Ipswich itself - Alexandra Park makes a solid morning or early afternoon detour. It's the sort of place that fits naturally into a Suffolk holiday without feeling like a tick-box activity. Weather-dependent, mind you. On a grey, drizzly day it can feel a bit bleak. But catch it on decent weather and it's well worth twenty minutes in the car from wherever you're staying.