Seafield Park

The salt marshes and shingle banks at Seafield Park make for a proper bracing walk, especially if you time it right with the tide. You're looking at mudflats, reed beds, and the kind of light that makes photographers hang about for hours - all of it free to explore from the paths that cut through this nature reserve just outside Lee-on-the-Solent.

It's genuinely good for birdwatchers. Waders, wildfowl, the occasional rarer visitor if you're lucky and patient. Bring binoculars and a field guide, because the reserve doesn't do a huge amount of signposting. You can easily spend two hours here without rushing, though an hour's enough if you've just got an afternoon to kill.

Families with older kids will manage fine - it's flat, mostly, and they can burn energy poking about on the banks. Younger ones might get restless unless they're into spotting things. The views across the water towards the mainland are decent enough, though nothing that'll make you gasp.

If you're staying at Waverley Park or one of the other holiday parks nearby, it's a solid addition to a quieter day out. The Solent coast has plenty of these reserves dotted about, so you won't lack for options. Park near Lee-on-the-Solent and walk in - there's no visitor centre or facilities, so come prepared. Best visited in spring and autumn when the migration brings more birds through.