Riverside Reserve LNR

The Riverside Reserve Local Nature Reserve sits just outside Bincombe, a proper haven for anyone who wants to swap manicured gardens for something wilder. You're walking through woodland and alongside the river, spotting birds and whatever else fancies showing itself on the day - the appeal is that it's genuinely unpredictable. It's the sort of place where you can spend an hour or three depending on how much you fancy wandering, and kids usually prefer it to more structured attractions because they're allowed to actually explore rather than stay on a rope line.

This is walker territory, mainly. If you're after a gentle amble with the family, bring decent shoes because the ground can be boggy after rain. The reserve is free to access - it's a nature reserve, after all - and there's no visitor centre to queue through or gift shop to exhaust your wallet at. Just turn up and go.

If you're based at one of the nearby parks - Green Valley Yurts is genuinely excellent, or Parkdean Warmwell if you want something more conventional - Riverside Reserve works as a morning or late-afternoon adventure that doesn't require a car journey. It's close enough to slip into a day that includes the beach or other Dorset attractions, but far enough away that it actually feels like you've left the holiday park behind. Not a destination day trip on its own, but absolutely worth factoring in.