Glenda Mere

A proper little lake tucked into the Wensleydale landscape, just a few miles outside Richmond. Glenda Mere is the sort of spot where you can actually hear yourself think - no gift shops, no car parks the size of football pitches, just water, trees, and the occasional heron minding its own business.

It's a straightforward walk around the shoreline, manageable for most fitness levels, though the path gets a bit boggy after rain. You're looking at maybe forty minutes to an hour if you dawdle, which you should. The views open up nicely from certain points, and it's genuinely quiet, even during summer holidays when everywhere else is rammed.

Families with older kids will get more from it than those with toddlers - it's not a splash-about sort of lake. Bird watchers and photographers absolutely love this place. The water reflects the surrounding hills beautifully on calm days, and there's something about the light here that makes you understand why people bother with landscape photography.

If you're staying at Usha Gap Farm nearby, this is an excellent afternoon addition to your holiday without any driving about. Hawes Caravan and Motorhome Club sits closer to Wensleydale proper, but Glenda Mere makes a good excuse to explore the quieter bits of North Yorkshire beyond the honeypots. Free to visit, free to park, and worth the detour if you're after somewhere genuinely peaceful rather than another postcard-famous viewpoint.