Withdean Park - Brighton & Hove

A proper working landscape this one - Withdean Park sits just north of Brighton and manages the neat trick of being genuinely useful to the city while staying quiet enough that most visitors miss it entirely. The reserve spans chalk grassland and woodland, the sort of place where you'll spot common blues fluttering about in summer and hear skylarks if you're lucky. There's actual history woven through it too - Bronze Age barrows rise from the grass if you know where to look, and you can walk the line of an old drove road that's been here since medieval times.

Walkers will get the most from Withdean. It's not dramatic or showy, but the paths are solid and the views across the Weald open up nicely when you climb the higher sections. Give yourself a couple of hours to do it justice, longer if you're into the archaeology or want to sit about bird-watching. Families with younger kids might find it a bit samey after the first half-hour - there's no playground infrastructure or visitor facilities to speak of.

It's free to access and genuinely worth the bus ride from central Brighton or a short drive if you're based at one of the nearby campsites like Pegs and Pitches or Chalky Downs. Spring and early summer are best - the wildflower display on the chalk grassland is properly good, and you'll dodge the worst of the summer heat that makes Brighton proper sticky. Pair it with a walk down to the beach afterwards and you've got a solid half-day sorted.