Butterfly Gardens @ Middleton Common Farm

The butterfly gardens at Middleton Common Farm near Hassocks are a proper treat if you've got an afternoon to kill and the weather's playing ball. You're essentially wandering through cultivated beds where dozens of species flit about doing their thing - peacocks, red admirals, cabbage whites, the lot. It's low-key and unpretentious, which is precisely why it works.

The experience depends entirely on conditions. Visit on a warm, sunny day and you'll see butterflies everywhere, perched on flowers or spiralling overhead. Come on a grey afternoon and they'll be hiding, leaving you staring at empty plants wondering what all the fuss was about. Families with young children tend to get a solid hour out of it, maybe ninety minutes if they're patient types. Adults who actually care about insects will find more to occupy them.

It's the sort of stop you make while exploring the broader Hassocks area rather than a destination in itself. If you're staying at Blackberry Wood or Southdown Way Caravan & Camping Park - both close by - it fills a gap between breakfast and lunch nicely. The Secret Campsite and Wild Boar Wood are a bit further afield but still within easy reach for a morning visit.

Check ahead for opening hours and admission charges before you go, as details are thin on the ground. Go early June through August for the best butterfly activity. Spring's promising but unpredictable. Autumn sees fewer species about. Winter? Don't bother.