Nutbourne Marsh Nature Reserve

The marsh spreads out flat and open, all reedy channels and shallow water that mirrors the sky on a decent day. Nutbourne sits just outside Chichester, proper countryside despite being close enough to the city that you can hear the occasional distant traffic. It's a working nature reserve where the main point is watching birds - herons, egrets, lapwings depending on the season - and picking out dragonflies if you visit in summer.

There's a walking route that takes you round the perimeter. It's not arduous, more of a gentle mooch than a hike, which suits most ages well enough. Binoculars are the kit to bring. Don't expect visitor centres or facilities - this isn't that sort of place. It's free to access and you can spend an hour there or three, depending on how engaged you get with spotting things.

Birders will get the most from it, obviously. Families with younger kids might find it a bit slow unless they're already into that sort of thing. The landscape is flat Hampshire wetland - beautiful in its own way but it won't knock your socks off if dramatic views are what you're after.

Parking up at one of the nearby parks like Concierge Camping or Fishery Creek, you're well positioned for this as a morning or late-afternoon activity. Pair it with a proper walk elsewhere in the South Downs, or a poke around Chichester town itself, and you've got a decent day shaped.