Arundel Wetland Centre

The Wetland Centre sits on the edge of Arundel, a proper haven for anyone who actually wants to watch birds rather than just walk past them. You're looking at 55 acres of lagoons, reedbeds, and wet grassland where you can spot everything from pintails to pochards without fighting through crowds. The walking trails take you round viewing screens and hides where you can get close enough to see what the ducks are actually doing.

It's genuinely brilliant for families with young kids. There's a visitor centre with the usual facilities, and the trails are manageable even if someone's in wellies refusing to move faster than a snail. Bird watchers will spend half the day here if the conditions are right. In winter the visiting wildfowl numbers pick up considerably, which means January through March is peak season.

There's no point lying about it - admission does cost money, though it's run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust so you know it goes toward proper conservation work. Allow two to three hours minimum if you want to move at a reasonable pace and actually use the hides rather than just walking past them. You'll want to bring binoculars unless you're happy squinting at distant shapes.

If you're based at Brookside Caravan Park or one of the other sites near Littlehampton, Arundel Wetland Centre makes an excellent half-day trip. Pair it with a walk round Arundel itself - the castle's worth an hour - and you've got a solid day sorted without driving far.