Matford Marshes

The marshes sprawl out just outside Exeter like someone's left the garden gate open - flat, wet, and surprisingly wild for somewhere so close to the city. It's a proper expanse of wetland where the River Exe does its thing, and you get that sense of space you rarely find near urban areas.

What draws people here is the birdwatching, mainly. Bring binoculars and patience. Winter's the best time if you want to spot something unusual - waders, wildfowl, the lot. The walking's straightforward but muddy underfoot, so wellington boots aren't a luxury. You can cover it in an hour or potter about for half a day depending on how keen you are on identifying every species that flies past.

It's the sort of place families with older kids will actually engage with rather than drag around. Younger ones might get restless unless you make it a treasure hunt - spot the heron, find the dragonfly, that sort of thing. Seriously though, if you've got birders in your group, this delivers without the twee factor.

From Cofton Holidays just five miles away, it's an easy morning excursion before heading somewhere more obviously entertaining. Free to access, no visitor centre to queue through, just nature doing its job. Not Instagram-pretty, but honest work - and that's worth the drive from your holiday park.