Deer Park

The deer here are genuinely bold - they'll come right up to you if you've got food, which makes for brilliant photos even on a grey afternoon. It's a working nature reserve in Dorset, just outside Yeovil, where you can wander through woodland and open pasture watching fallow and muntjac deer going about their day. The place feels properly rural, the kind of spot where you'll hear more birdsong than voices.

You're looking at a couple of hours maximum if you're just after a mooch and a coffee stop. Families with young kids do well here - there's space to run about and the deer are close enough to keep them engaged without needing any pricey attractions. Walkers get something decent too, though it's not dramatic terrain; more pleasant and gentle than a proper hike.

If you're camped at Hidden Valley Dorset or Dorset Forest Garden Glamping - both within six miles - this makes an easy morning out before heading elsewhere. It won't take the whole day, which is fine. Not every visit needs to be epic.

Best time is early morning or late afternoon when the deer are most active and you'll have fewer people around. Bring proper shoes because it gets boggy after rain. The admission's usually modest, and it's free to look around from outside if you're just passing through, though you miss the real experience that way.