Big Park

You'll need proper boots for Big Park - it's the sort of place where the ground squelches under your feet even on dry days, which tells you everything about the habitat they've preserved here. This nature reserve sprawls across Perthshire countryside just outside Perth, and it's genuinely one of those spaces where you feel like you've stepped away from the main road noise entirely.

The reserve itself is best explored on foot. There are decent paths winding through woodland and open ground, and you're likely to spot everything from roe deer to kingfishers if you're patient and quiet about it. Bring binoculars - serious birdwatchers make the trip out here specifically for the winter visitors and breeding season species. It's not a manicured experience; the vegetation is deliberately left wild, which some find authentic and others find a bit overgrown. Depends what you're after.

Families with older children will get more from it than those with toddlers, mainly because there's genuine walking involved and the reward is seeing wildlife, not a playground. Allow two to three hours if you want to do it properly rather than rush through. Go early morning for the best chance of spotting animals and for fewer people.

If you're based at Beech Hedge holiday park nearby, it's an easy detour on a morning walk. Worth the trip if you're genuinely interested in Perthshire wildlife, though it won't grip you if you're just after a quick stroll.