Whitcliff Park - red Deer

The red deer here are genuinely impressive - proper big animals that most people never get close to in the wild. Whitcliff Park, near Dursley in Gloucestershire, is a working nature reserve where you can actually see them grazing and moving about, not just read about them in a guide book. It's the sort of place where you turn a corner and there's a stag standing forty yards away, which never gets old.

You're looking at a couple of hours well spent here, maybe more if you're seriously into wildlife. There are walking trails through the woodland, and the deer are usually visible from late afternoon onwards when they're most active. Bring binoculars if you have them - makes spotting the younger animals easier. The terrain is manageable for families with decent boots, though there are steeper bits that younger kids might find tiring.

If you're based at Pepper Pot Caravan Park just down the road, this is exactly the sort of low-key morning or late-afternoon trip that makes a Cotswolds holiday feel properly restful. It's not a theme park experience - nobody's going to be screaming with excitement - but if you want to see British wildlife without the noise and crowds of a major attraction, it's worth the visit. Check ahead about opening times and whether entry is free, as details seem thin on the ground, but the location alone makes it handy for a stop if you're exploring the area around Dursley.