Cuthill Park

Cuthill Park is a small nature reserve just outside Musselburgh where you can actually spot things - waders, wildfowl, the occasional roe deer if you're lucky and keep quiet. It's the sort of place that rewards patience rather than demands it. The wetland habitat draws birdwatchers year-round, though spring and autumn migrations are genuinely worth timing a visit around.

The reserve itself is manageable on foot, with gentle paths that won't knacker anyone unfit or young. You're looking at maybe an hour or two depending on how seriously you take the binoculars, though keen ornithologists could happily camp here all morning. The landscape is open and undramatic - proper East Lothian wetland rather than mountain scenery - but that's exactly why the wildlife concentrates here.

Families with kids interested in nature will get something out of it, though the very young might find standing still watching for birds a bit much. It's free, which is always welcome, and the proximity to Haven Seton Sands Holiday Village (less than three miles away) makes it an easy morning excursion if you're based there. You could easily combine it with a walk along the Forth shoreline nearby - the area's got plenty of coastal paths that pack more visual drama.

Go early if you want the best wildlife viewing. The light's better, birds are more active, and you'll avoid anyone else tramping about. Don't expect to feel like you've discovered something wild and remote - this is nature reserve management, not wilderness - but that's fine. It does what it sets out to do.