Elms Lake

The water at Elms Lake sits absolutely still on a calm morning, which is precisely why locals keep coming back. You'll find it just outside Rickmansworth, a proper spot for a walk rather than a destination in itself - the kind of place where you realise halfway round that you've been there for two hours without noticing.

It's a modest lake, nothing dramatic, but that's rather the appeal. Fishermen line the banks regularly, and there's a walking path that takes you all the way round if you've got forty minutes or so to spare. The banks are tree-lined enough that you feel properly removed from the surrounding roads, even though civilisation isn't far off. On weekends you'll see families with kids in buggies, the occasional jogger, and plenty of people just standing about watching for waterfowl.

Free to visit, naturally. Go early if you want the place to yourself - by mid-morning on decent weather the car park fills up quick enough. Winter's actually lovely here when the light cuts low across the water, though the muddy bits by the shore can be treacherous after rain.

If you're based at Highclere Caravan and Camping Park nearby, this works well as a morning walk before heading elsewhere. It's the kind of addition to a park holiday rather than a reason to book one, but that doesn't make it any less worth doing. Genuine local spot, which is becoming rarer round these parts.