Dyke Road Park

The South Downs rise sharply just north of Brighton, and Dyke Road Park sits right where the chalk hills meet the sprawl of the city. It's a proper working nature reserve rather than a manicured attraction - all open grassland, scrubby woodland, and the kind of windswept views that remind you why people bother with the English countryside at all.

You're looking at a few miles of walking through typical downland habitat. Chalk grassland supports wildflowers that draw butterflies and insects, and if you time it right (spring through early autumn), there's colour everywhere. The paths are straightforward enough for families with older kids, though they're not flat - this is proper hill country. Walkers will find it worth an hour or two, longer if you're keen on spotting birds or just sitting about with binoculars.

The reserve works brilliantly as a morning sortie from either Foot of the Downs or Southdown Way caravan parks, both within easy reach. You can be up there in twenty minutes from central Brighton, which makes it ideal if you want to escape the seafront crowds without committing to a full day out. Free to access, no visitor centre or facilities to speak of - just bring decent boots and water.

It's not dramatic enough to warrant a special trip on its own, but paired with a week based at one of the nearby parks, it offers a genuine bit of downland walking without the tourist theatre. Go on a clear day and the views back towards the coast are actually rather good.