The Lakes Rookley

The Lakes at Rookley is a proper working nature reserve on the Isle of Wight, just inland from Newport. It's essentially a series of flooded gravel pits that have been left to their own devices - water, reeds, and whatever birds and wildlife fancy moving in. You're here to watch, not swim or splash about.

What you actually do is walk the perimeter paths, binoculars in hand, spotting whatever's about that day. Winter brings wildfowl; summer, wading birds and dragonflies if you're lucky. The viewing areas are decent enough - proper little hides in places - and the whole thing takes maybe an hour or two depending on how serious you are about the birdwatching. It's free and open access, which is the best kind of attraction.

This works brilliantly if you're camping at one of the sites nearby - Rusty Meadow, Burnt House Farm, or Under the Stars are all within spitting distance. It's not a destination in itself, but it's the sort of thing that fills a morning perfectly. Families with kids will get restless after an hour unless the children are genuinely into wildlife spotting. For actual birders and nature types, though, it's time well spent. Go early when the light's good and the birds are active. Midday can be a bit dead. The wetland habitat does what it says - honest, unpretentious, and free.