Park Dam

The water here is properly stunning - a broad reservoir hemmed in by rolling moorland, the kind of place where you can actually hear yourself think. Park Dam sits just outside Hexham, and it's the sort of spot locals know well but tourists often miss entirely.

You can walk right around it if you're keen - takes a good couple of hours depending on pace and how many times you stop to stare at the reflections. The paths are straightforward enough, nothing technical, though it gets muddy after rain. Bring binoculars if you're into birds; the place attracts all sorts, particularly in spring and autumn migration. There's something oddly meditative about standing on the dam wall itself, watching the light change across the water.

It won't take up your whole day, which is fine - think of it as a half-day excursion rather than a destination unto itself. Good for a proper walk before lunch, or an early evening amble. Families with older kids will get more out of it than those with toddlers, simply because there's not much to do except walk and look. That's also its charm, mind you.

If you're camping at Stonehaugh Campsite or the glamping at Langley Dam, this is genuinely within striking distance and worth the drive. Free to visit, no restrictions that I'm aware of. Go when the weather's clear - a grey day here feels genuinely grey.