National Trust - Sandilands

The beach at Sandilands, just outside Sutton on Sea, is where the National Trust looks after one of Lincolnshire's most important coastal stretches. This is proper dune and saltmarsh habitat - the kind of place that matters far more than it looks on first glance. You won't find the manicured gardens you get at other Trust properties. Instead you get sand, marram grass, and the sense that something genuinely wild is happening here.

What makes it worth your time is the wildlife. Ringed plovers breed here. Winter brings wading birds by the hundred. Photographers and birdwatchers will find themselves utterly absorbed - bring binoculars and patience. The walking is straightforward rather than dramatic, with good footpaths threading through the dunes and along the marsh edge. A couple of hours here gives you the full picture without feeling rushed.

Families with young children might find it a bit underwhelming - there's no visitors' centre, no playground, no facilities to speak of. But older kids interested in nature will get something genuine from it. The reality is it's a working nature reserve first and tourist attraction second, which is precisely why it's worth protecting and why the Trust manages it.

It's free to access, as National Trust coastal reserves tend to be. The nearest proper facilities are in Sutton on Sea itself, just a short drive away. If you're staying at Cherry Tree Springs or any of the other caravan parks dotted along this coast, you've got somewhere excellent on your doorstep - no need to venture far for a proper bit of nature.