Northend Park

The moment you push through the gates at Northend Park near Driffield, you're in proper countryside - open marshland dotted with pools and scrubby woodland that feels a world away from the road behind you. It's a nature reserve first and foremost, so come here to watch birds, spot amphibians if you're lucky, and potter about on the footpaths that wind through the wetland. In spring and autumn the birdwatching is genuinely excellent, with warblers and migrants passing through. Summer brings dragonflies skimming the water.

This isn't a manicured park with facilities and attractions. It's the kind of place where you need decent walking boots, patience, and binoculars if you're serious about wildlife. Families with young children might find an hour enough before they get restless, but keen naturalists or photographers could easily spend half a day here. The marshland can be boggy, especially after rain, so check conditions before you go.

If you're staying at East End Farm Campsite just down the road, Northend Park makes a brilliant morning or afternoon walk without eating up fuel money. It's free and feels genuinely wild for East Yorkshire - no trumped-up visitor centre, just you and whatever's hiding in the reeds. Worth the detour if nature is your thing, but don't expect picnic benches or a café.