Bournemouth Upper Gardens

The Upper Gardens roll down from the cliff top towards Bournemouth town centre like someone's landed a particularly tidy piece of Victorian park-making on the Dorset coast. You get proper manicured lawns, flower beds that actually mean something, and the sort of paths where you can walk without tripping over tree roots - a far cry from the wilder reserves inland.

It's best visited when you want something gentle. Families with young kids will appreciate the flat terrain and lack of hidden boggy bits, though there's not enough here to occupy them for more than ninety minutes. History buffs get a shot of that 19th-century leisure culture, all hand-raked gravel and Victorian sensibilities. The real selling point though? Views. On a clear day you're looking across to the Isle of Wight, and Christchurch is just down the road if you need a sandwich and a sit-down.

If you're based at Haven Rockley Park - a decent enough spot five or so miles away - this works well as an afternoon slot between beach time and supper. Pair it with a mooch around Bournemouth itself, or time it right and catch the gardens when the light's proper golden, usually late afternoon. The admission question is academic; you simply turn up and wander. No entrance fee, no annoying ticket booths. Just gates and gardens doing what they've done for rather a long time now.