Victoria Park - Belfast

There's a proper working farm at the heart of Victoria Park, which makes it rather different from your standard urban green space. You can wander around 75 acres of meadows, woodland and water features while actually watching livestock grazing - cows, sheep, the lot. The park sits between Lisburn and Castlereagh, so it's genuinely accessible from Belfast without fighting your way through the city centre.

What strikes you first is how quiet it is. Even on decent weekends, you're not shoulder-to-shoulder with families. There are woodland walks that take twenty minutes or so, and the pond area is decent for spotting birds if you're into that sort of thing. Kids will manage an hour or two without complaining - there's enough space to run about, and the farm animals keep things interesting. For anyone after a proper stroll rather than a theme park experience, this works well.

Free entry, thankfully. You can easily combine it with the caravan parks nearby - Dundonald Touring is only three miles away, and The Pods at Streamvale (their glamping operation) is barely further. If you're based at either, an afternoon here breaks up the usual park routine without demanding too much effort. The walking's gentle rather than challenging, so it's fine for mixed-ability groups. Worth fitting in if you've got a couple of hours spare, though I wouldn't rearrange your whole trip around it.