Devonshire Green

The moment you step onto Devonshire Green, you're struck by how quiet it feels given that Sheffield's just over the horizon. This nature reserve sprawls across South Yorkshire with the kind of open grassland and woodland that makes you forget you're anywhere near a city at all.

It's genuinely brilliant for walkers. The paths wind through proper countryside - the sort where you might spot roe deer if you're lucky, or at least disturb a few rabbits on the way through. The ground's manageable underfoot most of the time, though after rain it gets a bit boggy in patches. Allow yourself a couple of hours if you want to do the main circuits without rushing. On weekends it fills up with locals, but there's enough space that you never feel crowded.

Families with kids will find it decent enough, though if your lot demand attractions rather than just open space, they might lose interest after an hour. Birdwatchers should bring binoculars - the mix of grassland and woodland draws in a fair variety through the seasons.

Stay at Wyming Brook Farm Campsite just down the road, which genuinely deserves its 5-star rating, or Fox Hagg Farm if you want something marginally closer to the reserve. Both give you easy access to the green and keep you well outside the Sheffield sprawl. It's the sort of place that works best as a proper walk rather than a quick stop-off - commit half a day to it and you'll get something worthwhile.