Thursley Common National Nature reserve

The heathland spreads out in front of you without warning - one moment you're in woodland, the next there's open sky and that particular kind of stillness that only comes from genuinely wild space. Thursley Common is proper heathland, the sort of landscape that's become rare enough in Surrey to matter. Purple heather, gorse, the occasional birch tree struggling upright in the sandy soil. In late summer it's almost violet across the whole reserve.

This is a walker's place, mainly. The paths loop through different sections - some sandy tracks, others boardwalk where the ground gets boggy - and you can spend anything from forty minutes to a couple of hours wandering depending on which routes you take. Birdwatchers come here seriously; it's a designated nature reserve run by Surrey Wildlife Trust, and the populations of nightjars and Dartford warblers are the real draw for the dedicated lot. Families with younger kids might find an hour enough before the flatness starts feeling a bit samey.

The common sits just outside Godalming, close enough to make it a decent afternoon from either Tilford Woods Lodge Retreat or Little Cowdray Farm Glamping if you're staying at one of those spots. No facilities on the reserve itself - no cafe, no visitor centre - so bring water and don't expect any shelter. Access is free, naturally. Best visited early morning or dusk if you want the wildlife to actually show themselves, though the light across the heather at either end of the day is worth the trip alone. Winter's quieter and the place feels properly remote, but summer draws the crowds.