Melford Country Park

The Suffolk countryside opens up properly at Melford Country Park, just outside Sudbury. This is a working nature reserve that doesn't announce itself loudly - there's no fancy visitor centre or admission booth, just genuine grassland, woodland, and wetland where the wildlife does most of the talking.

You'll find yourself on a decent network of walking trails that move between different habitats. The wetland areas are where things get interesting - dragonflies in summer, winter birds when the place quietens down. Walkers get the most from this; it's the sort of place where you actually see something rather than just walk in circles. History types might find themselves disappointed - there's no grand story here, just ecology. But that's rather the point.

The park works well as a morning or afternoon break during a park holiday. Both Cranfield Retreat and Lake View Lodges are barely a couple of miles away, so you're looking at a ten-minute drive. It fills time when the weather's decent without demanding hours of commitment. Come in spring or autumn when migrating birds pass through, and you'll see proper activity. Summer's muggy and quiet by comparison.

There's a real working feel to the place - you're not paying to be entertained here. Bring decent boots if rain's threatened. A couple of hours maximum unless you're genuinely into bird watching, in which case bring binoculars and stay longer.