Martello Park

The walk along Martello Park's shingle beach and through its coastal scrubland takes you past one of those squat, circular Martello towers that pepper the Suffolk shoreline - built during the Napoleonic Wars to repel French invasions that never came. It's a proper piece of British defensive paranoia, now just sitting there quietly while the sea does its slow work on the shingle.

This is a nature reserve, so you're here for the birds and the plants rather than manicured lawns. The reserve protects a stretch of coast that's genuinely wild - saltmarsh, mudflats, and rough grassland that attract waders and wildfowl depending on the season. Spring and autumn are genuinely good for birdwatching if you've got binoculars and patience.

Walkers get the most from Martello Park. It's not a sitting-about sort of place - you're meant to move through it, watching for movement in the reeds and keeping an eye on the water. Families with young children might find it a bit one-note after 45 minutes unless the kids are already keen on wildlife. The terrain is manageable but it's shingle underfoot, so proper footwear helps.

Felixstowe town centre is just over the way, and you're minutes from Suffolk Sands Holiday Park and Felixstowe Beach Holiday Park if you're staying locally. It slots nicely into a coastal walking day without demanding hours of your time. Free access as far as I can tell, though facilities are minimal - bring what you need.