Hailsham Common Pond

The pond itself is unassuming - a shallow stretch of water fringed with reeds and surrounded by the sort of Sussex scrubland that looks unremarkable until you actually stop and watch it. Hailsham Common Pond sits just outside Pevensey, a proper working nature reserve rather than a manicured visitor attraction, and that's exactly what makes it worth a morning visit.

You'll see dragonflies in summer, water birds year-round, and if you're lucky, amphibians that most people only read about in school textbooks. The paths are straightforward enough for families with young kids, though expect mud after rain - wellies are your friend here. It's the sort of place where a visit lasts an hour, maybe ninety minutes if you're really into bird watching or wildlife photography.

Historically this was common land, and the reserve protects what's left of that habitat. It's free to access, and there's a genuine sense of being somewhere useful rather than just another tick-box tourist spot. Nature reserves can feel a bit lonely, which is part of their appeal, but it's not the sort of walk that will captivate restless teenagers.

If you're staying at Fontmills Farm Campsite nearby, this makes a decent leg-stretch between longer outings to the coast at Pevensey Bay. Golden Cross Holiday Park is another option within driving distance. The Common works best as an add-on to a Sussex break rather than a destination in itself, but that doesn't diminish it - sometimes the best wildlife moments happen when you're not expecting them.