Fishers Green

Fishers Green sits right on the Lee Valley, just east of Waltham Cross, and it's the sort of spot you'd stumble upon by accident if you weren't careful - which makes it all the better. It's a proper riverside picnic site where the main draw is simply being outdoors by the water with a sandwich and a flask. Nothing fancy. There's space to spread out, benches if you want them, and genuine peace if you time it right.

The Lee Valley itself is the real star here. It's a working landscape rather than a manicured park - reed beds, water meadows, the occasional heron if you're lucky. You can walk along the river, watch the wildlife, let the kids burn off steam without worrying about them destroying anything. It's honest green space, not the sort of place designed for Instagram. Plan on two or three hours maximum unless you're genuinely into birdwatching.

If you're camping at one of the nearby parks - Fowley Mead is barely two miles away, or Lee Valley Caravan Park at Dobbs Weir just three miles down the road - this works as a daytime break rather than a destination in itself. Grab lunch, take a stroll, head back. It's free and unfussy, which is exactly what you want after a full day at a park. Comes into its own in spring and early summer when the river's full and the birds are nesting. Autumn's decent too if you can handle muddy banks.