Lake 61

Lake 61 sits just outside Cirencester, a proper working gravel pit that's been flooded and left to do its thing for the best part of two decades. What started as an extraction site has quietly become a decent spot for a walk and a bit of birdwatching - the water's attracted geese, cormorants, and herons that wouldn't have been there when it was just digging equipment and dust.

There's a path that loops partway round, nothing strenuous, and the banks are reed-fringed enough to feel like you've stumbled onto something more remote than you have. Families with younger kids might get an hour or so of interest out of it, though there's not much to do once you've walked the visible bits - no cafe, no facilities that I could find, just the water and whatever's on it on the day you visit.

The real appeal is as a break between other things rather than a destination in itself. If you're camping at Hoburne Cotswold Holiday Park just half a mile away, it's an easy leg-stretcher before or after the caravan. Same goes if you're based at one of the other sites within easy reach - Cirencester Park Campsite is only five miles down the road. Spring and early autumn are probably best; summer can get a bit overgrown, and winter's fine if you don't mind grey skies and muddy margins.

Worth knowing: it's free and there are no set hours, so you can pop over whenever. Don't expect facilities or any kind of visitor infrastructure.