Bonnymead Park

Just outside Salisbury, Bonnymead Park is a proper nature reserve where you can actually see what the Wiltshire countryside looks like when it's left to its own devices. It's not manicured or showy - just woodland, grassland, and the kind of wildlife you'd expect to find if you know where to look.

Walkers will get the most from it. There are paths through the site that take you into the thick of things, and you're genuinely likely to spot birds and small mammals if you're quiet enough about it. Families with younger kids might find an hour enough; older ones who enjoy a proper ramble could easily stretch it to two or three hours depending on which routes they take. The terrain's manageable - nothing steep or treacherous - so it's accessible without being dull.

It's free to visit, which counts for something. There are no fancy visitor facilities that we could find, so bring what you need. The reserve works best in spring and early summer when the birds are nesting and the wildflowers are out. Autumn's decent too if you want to see migrating species.

Stay at Stonehenge Campsite & Glamping (less than five miles away) and you've got a solid base for exploring both the reserve and the wider area. The two sites - Stonehenge and Salisbury Camping and Caravanning Club Site - are well-positioned for accessing this part of Wiltshire without being right on top of the crowds at Stonehenge itself.