Manor Farm Lake

The water at Manor Farm Lake sits dead calm most mornings, reflecting whatever sky decides to show up. It's a proper working fishery just outside Witney, the kind of place where you'll see anglers settled in for the day with their rods and flasks, not the sort of lake that draws crowds of tourists. You can walk round it, though - the path's decent enough if you're after a gentle loop rather than anything ambitious.

Families with young kids will get maybe an hour out of it, longer if they're into spotting water birds or you've brought a packed lunch. The lake itself is fairly small, intimate even, with patches of woodland on one side that offer some shade on warmer days. Anglers absolutely make this place work, so if fishing's your thing, you'll want to check whether you need a day ticket or membership beforehand.

It works well as part of a broader walk round the Witney area rather than as a destination in itself. The nearby caravan parks - Hardwick Parks is barely half a mile away, with Lincoln Farm Park Partnership at under two miles - make it handy for a morning stroll while staying in a camper or caravan. Cotswold Edge at Ducklington Farm is three miles south if you're camping that way instead. The lake fills a gap nicely between longer countryside routes, but don't expect drama or facilities. Bring your binoculars if you're a bird spotter, otherwise it's just a quiet bit of water in the Oxfordshire landscape.