Gerrans Park and Garden

The paths through Gerrans Park wind down through proper woodland, the kind where you actually feel like you've stepped away from things. It's a nature reserve just outside Truro, and it does what it does without any fuss - quiet walks, open grassland when you clear the trees, and that particular smell of damp earth that makes you remember why you came to Cornwall in the first place.

What you're actually doing here is walking. There's no café, no visitor centre, no interpretation boards telling you what bird that was. You just get the reserve itself - woodland paths, open areas where you can see across to the coast on a clear day, and genuinely few people about even in summer. If you've got a toddler, you'll struggle with buggies on the muddier sections. Teenagers will find it dull unless they're already into wildlife. But for anyone who actually enjoys a walk without destination or gimmick, it's time well spent. Allow an hour minimum, probably longer if you're taking photos or just sitting about.

It pairs nicely with a week based at Veryan Camping and Caravanning Club Site, only five miles away - you could knock out the walk in the morning and still have afternoon energy for hitting the beaches properly. The reserve is free, which is the only way it should be. Go midweek if possible. Weekends bring the Truro overflow, and the whole point rather evaporates.