Crowdy Reservoir

The drive to Crowdy Reservoir winds through proper Cornish moorland - you'll know you're getting close when the landscape opens up and trees thin out. The reservoir itself is a solid stretch of water that catches the light well on a clear day, surrounded by rough grazing land and not much else, which is rather the point. This is where you come to breathe, not to queue.

It's a walker's spot, genuinely. The paths round the perimeter aren't signposted to death, which keeps the crowds thin even in summer. Expect maybe ninety minutes for a decent loop, though you can knock that back to forty-five if you're just after a quick leg-stretch from Launceston. The water's cold and dramatic - moorland reflections when the light's right, properly bleak when it's not. Birdwatchers do well here; the reservoir pulls in wintering species that you won't see on the coast.

Families with young kids might find it a bit empty after twenty minutes unless your lot are serious walkers. Teenagers could handle it fine. For anyone staying at Ekopod or Trewithen Farm Glamping nearby, this works as an easy morning or late-afternoon detour - it's only four miles from Ekopod. You won't need more than two hours total, including a wander and a thermos break.

It's free, as far as we could gather, and there's room to park a small huddle of cars. Go when it's not raining if possible; the moor gets grim in wet weather.