Farmhouse Lake

Water sits dead flat here, mirror-still most days, reflecting whatever sky Gloucestershire decides to throw at it. Farmhouse Lake near Cirencester is the sort of place locals know well and outsiders stumble upon by accident - which is precisely why it's worth the detour.

It's a proper working fishery first, a leisure spot second. The lake itself is modest in size but genuinely lovely, fringed with trees that give decent shelter on blustery days. You can walk the perimeter easily enough, maybe forty minutes if you're in no rush. The water's deep in places, and on a quiet morning you'll see why anglers rate it - there's a real sense of calm here, the kind that has nothing to do with manicured parks and everything to do with genuine peace.

Families with young children will manage a pleasant hour. Older kids might want to bring binoculars - birdlife is decent round the margins. Serious walkers will find it a quick leg-stretch rather than a destination in itself. Anglers, obviously, will want to make a day of it.

Stay at Hoburne Cotswold Holiday Park just 1.8 miles away and you've got an easy morning walk, or Park Farm Campsite if you fancy something that rates even higher. Cirencester itself is close enough for lunch or supplies. There's no grand facility here - no cafe, no visitor centre - which rather suits the place. It's unpretentious, genuinely local, and all the better for it.