Alexander Garden

Walk into Alexander Garden and you're immediately in proper countryside - a nature reserve just outside Bridport that feels worlds away from the holiday parks dotting the coast nearby. It's not a manicured botanical showpiece. Instead, you get open grassland, woodland patches, and the kind of wild spaces where you might actually spot something interesting: butterflies, nesting birds, the occasional deer if you're lucky and quiet enough.

The reserve works well for walkers who want something gentler than the cliffs at nearby Golden Cap Holiday Park, and families won't find it tedious - kids can burn energy without the constant worry of cliff edges. You can spend anything from thirty minutes pottering about to a couple of hours if you're properly exploring. The paths are manageable, though it can get muddy after rain, so bring appropriate footwear.

What makes it worth the trip is the sense of actually being in nature rather than visiting nature. There's no gift shop, no trumped-up facilities - just a reserve that gets on with being itself. If you're staying at Seadown or Newlands Holiday Park, it's close enough for a morning wander before heading to the beach. It's free to access, which doesn't hurt, and best visited in spring or early summer when the birdlife and wildflowers are at their peak. Winter can feel a bit bleak here, if we're honest.