Dennis's Hide

A modest wooden platform overlooking the Romney Marsh, Dennis's Hide sits just outside Herons and serves up one of those unexpected rewards that makes a caravan holiday worth leaving the site for. It's a proper birdwatchers' spot - the kind of place where you'll see folk with serious binoculars scanning the wetlands for waders and wildfowl. The view stretches across open marshland, flat as a kitchen table, which some might find meditative and others a bit bleak depending on your mood and the weather.

You're not talking about a grand spectacle here. It's functional rather than fancy - a simple structure designed for observation rather than Instagram moments. Early morning or dusk gives you the best light and the most active birdlife. The surrounding area is walking country, so it fits naturally into a longer ramble across the marsh if you're the type to stride about with a map.

For serious twitchers, it's worth the detour from any of the nearby parks - Herons Park Campsite is barely a mile away. Families with younger kids might find it a bit dull on a grey day, though if you've got a child keen on nature, it could be the highlight of their week. There's no information board to speak of, so bringing a bird identification guide helps. Free to visit, and you can spend as long as you like up there, though twenty minutes is probably realistic unless the light's exceptional or something rare has been spotted locally.