Brownhill Reservoir

Water stretches out between moorland slopes, still and reflective on a decent day. Brownhill Reservoir sits just outside Holmfirth, that proper Yorkshire town known for Last of the Summer Wine, and it's the kind of place that rewards a quiet morning walk rather than a full day's expedition.

You can circle the reservoir on foot - the path is straightforward enough, taking in views across the water to the hills beyond. It's not dramatic stuff, but there's something settling about it. Walkers appreciate the openness; kids might manage thirty minutes before restlessness sets in unless you make it a game of spotting birds or skimming stones. The water itself draws the occasional angler, and in autumn the colours reflecting off the surface can actually stop you mid-step.

There's no visitor facility to speak of here, so come prepared. Free to access, and you can spend as little as forty minutes or stretch it to a couple of hours if you're not in a rush. Early morning beats midday when the place fills with dog walkers.

If you're camped at Whitegate Leisure or Secret Valley Escapes nearby - both within spitting distance - this works perfectly as a morning constitutional before heading into Holmfirth proper for lunch. For a fuller day, combine it with a walk across the higher moorland that flanks it. It's not the Lake District, but then it doesn't pretend to be.