Ring's End Nature Reserve

The wetland stretches out flat and endless, water glinting between the reeds - this is Ring's End, a proper slice of Fenland character just outside March. You're walking through reedbed habitat here, the kind of place that makes you understand why the Fens matter, especially if you've spent your holiday on the flatter, more manicured parks around Knightsbridge or Fenland.

It's a working nature reserve, so what you see depends on the season and water levels. Spring brings nesting birds - reed warblers, great crested grebes - and if you're lucky, you'll spot water voles in the ditches. Summer's quieter for birdwatchers but the light's lovely across the water in the late afternoon. The walk itself isn't strenuous; mostly level footpaths, though muddy in wet weather and frankly a bit bleak if the wind's up.

This isn't somewhere to spend half a day. An hour's exploring is realistic, maybe ninety minutes if you're serious about spotting something. It works best as a add-on to a park holiday rather than a destination in itself - a morning walk before heading to March for lunch, or a detour on the way to somewhere else. Binoculars help enormously; without them you're mostly just looking at wet and reeds. Bring a bird guide too. The reserve itself appears to be free, though do check locally.

Walkers and birdwatchers will get the most from it. Families with restless kids might find it a bit samey.