Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust's Coombe Hill Nature Reserve

The Cotswold slopes around Coombe Hill drop away dramatically, and on a clear day you can see right across the Vale of Gloucester. The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust manages this reserve, which combines grassland, woodland, and scrub - the kind of landscape that keeps butterflies and birds properly fed. You're walking through working countryside here, not a manicured nature trail.

It's ideal for walkers who like their views earned rather than handed to them. The paths aren't flat, and the ground can be boggy after rain, but that's part of the appeal. Bird watchers will find plenty to occupy them - buzzards, sparrowhawks, and on a good day, redstarts. Families with kids of ten upwards will manage fine; younger ones might struggle with the terrain. The grassland flowers are at their best in late spring and early summer, when the whole hillside goes gold and purple.

Admission should be free - it's a trust reserve - but check ahead as opening arrangements can vary. Allow a good two hours if you're doing the longer circuit. The nearest proper base is Cheltenham, about four miles south, though Severnside Boat & Caravan Park (two miles away) and Norton Park Lodges (three miles) would put you within easy reach. Coombe Hill isn't a where-do-I-start destination; it's where you go when you've done the Cotswolds circuit and want something that actually feels like you've walked somewhere.