Belmont Park Exeter

The walk into Belmont Park catches you straight away - it's a proper slice of green lung right on Exeter's doorstep, and you'll wonder why more people aren't here on a decent afternoon. This nature reserve sits quiet and understated, the kind of place where you actually hear birds instead of traffic, and the paths wind through woodland and open meadow in a way that feels intentional rather than accidental.

It's the sort of spot walkers come back to. Not dramatic, not trying too hard, just genuinely pleasant - good for a couple of hours if you're local, worthwhile even if you're passing through. Families with young kids will find the paths manageable, though it's not a playground, so expectations matter. History types won't find much here beyond the landscape itself, but that's often the point of a nature reserve.

You can move between woodland and more open areas without needing specialist kit, which means it works in most seasons. Spring and early summer are lovely when things are growing, though autumn brings something equally good.

If you're based nearby at somewhere like Devon Heaven Hideaways - their glamping sites aren't far away - Belmont Park is the kind of morning walk you'd slot in before breakfast or after a lazy lunch. The proximity to Exeter means you're never far from proper facilities, so it fits neatly into a longer park holiday rather than being a destination in itself. It's unpretentious, which these days feels rather refreshing.