Ford Moss Nature Reserve

The boardwalk at Ford Moss winds through blanket bog like you're walking on the roof of the world. It's flat, it's quiet, and depending on the light, it can feel either rather haunting or absolutely brilliant. You get sphagnum moss underfoot, tiny sundews if you look closely, and on a clear day the Cheviot Hills rising up to the south. It's not dramatic, but that's rather the point.

This reserve near Wooler is proper Northumbrian landscape - the kind of place where you realise how much of England has been shaped and reshaped by farming and industry. The boardwalk keeps you from sinking into the peat, which is thoughtful, and the walk takes about 45 minutes at a gentle pace. Birdwatchers come here. So do people who just need to clear their heads.

Kids under ten might get restless - there's no destination, no summit, just walking and looking. Older children and adults who actually like nature will find it worthwhile. It's the sort of place where you notice the small things: golden plovers, the smell of wet peat, how the light changes across open moorland.

Free to access, no facilities to speak of, so bring what you need. Spring and early summer are best when the birds are active and the bog plants are flowering. It works well as part of a wider walk in the Cheviot foothills if you're based at Highburn House Caravan Park or elsewhere nearby. Not a day trip on its own, but a proper addition to exploring this corner of Northumberland.