Lychett Bay Viewpoint

The water stretches out impossibly far from Lychett Bay, a viewpoint just outside Poole that catches you off guard with how much you can see. It's the kind of spot where you suddenly understand why Dorset's coastline matters - the whole sweep of Poole Harbour opens up in front of you, all those little inlets and sandbanks and distant headlands making sense from up here.

There's not much infrastructure to speak of, which is rather the point. You park up, walk a few minutes, and you're standing looking out across water that can shift from grey-green to proper blue depending on the light. On a clear day you get real distance in the view. On a murky one it's still handsome enough - the marshland and water have that quiet Dorset charm without feeling forced about it.

Walkers will get the most from this. It's not a destination that demands hours - twenty minutes and you've seen what there is to see - but it slots perfectly into a longer coastal walk if you're based at one of the nearby parks. Haven Rockley Park is barely a mile away, or if you're staying further out at Wareham Forest Tourist Park or Burnbake Forest Lodges, this makes an easy morning detour.

Free, obviously. Open whenever you fancy turning up. Best visited when the sun's actually doing something, so aim for mid-morning or late afternoon rather than the flat light of noon. It's honest rather than spectacular, which counts for something - no crowds, no ticket booths, just a proper viewpoint that works.