Selbrigg Lake

Selbrigg Lake sits just outside Holt in Norfolk, a quiet spot that doesn't get mobbed with tourists the way some of the region's bigger attractions do. It's a proper little freshwater lake surrounded by woodland and reed beds - the kind of place you stumble upon rather than plan a day around, but glad you did once you're there.

The water itself is what draws people: walkers loop around the perimeter, birdwatchers camp out with binoculars hoping for something rare among the reeds, and on decent days families scatter along the banks. There's something calming about it, especially first thing in the morning when the water's still and you've got the place largely to yourself. The paths are well-trodden but not overcrowded, and the woodland framing it offers decent shelter when the Norfolk wind picks up - which it does, regularly.

Walkers will get the most from this. It's not a destination that demands hours, but a 45-minute circuit does the job nicely. Birdwatchers and nature types will linger longer, depending on the season. Photography folk should come at dawn or dusk when the light hits properly.

With Kelling Heath Holiday Park barely a mile away and Woodlands just under two miles off, it works well as a break from caravan life - somewhere to stretch your legs without needing to drive twenty minutes. Free access, no nonsense. Visit when the weather's decent; the paths get properly boggy after heavy rain and the scenery's less impressive in poor light.