Ball Grove Park

Ball Grove Park sits on the edge of Colne, a proper slice of Lancashire moorland that doesn't require a postcode search to find yourself surrounded by heather and rough grassland. It's a nature reserve rather than a manicured park, which means what you get is genuine - gritstone outcrops, scattered trees, and the kind of views that stretch across the Pennines on a clear day.

The walking here is straightforward without being boring. There are paths that wind through the reserve, and you can spend anything from 45 minutes to two hours depending on how many detours you fancy. Families with older kids will get more from it than those with toddlers - there's not much shade and the terrain is open moorland, so it can feel exposed in bad weather.

Best visited in autumn when the heather flowers, or any time outside the shooting season if you want to avoid the occasional pop of a shotgun in the distance. The reserve does have working moorland management, so just check locally what's on.

If you're camped at Shay Gate Farm Campsite or Trawden Forest Glamping nearby, Ball Grove makes an easy morning outing before heading elsewhere. It won't eat up a full day, but it's exactly the sort of place you need when the holiday parks around Colne start to feel a bit too static. Real walkers will appreciate it; people after manicured flower beds and benches probably won't.