Waunfawr Community Park

The walk up to Waunfawr Community Park from Aberystwyth takes you out of the seafront hubbub and into proper countryside within minutes. It's a nature reserve that local people actually use, which immediately sets it apart from the sort of place that gets photographed to death on Instagram. You'll find yourself on woodland paths with views back towards the coast, the sort of walk where you might spot red kites if you're lucky, though honestly the draw here is the peace as much as any rare wildlife.

This isn't somewhere you go for dramatic scenery or a showpiece visitor centre. It's a working nature reserve - grassland, scrub, and woodland managed for conservation. The walking is straightforward enough for families, though it's not a flat loop; there's a proper climb involved if you want the views. Allow an hour or so if you're just pottering about, longer if you're serious about birdwatching or photographing whatever's in bloom.

If you're staying at Aberystwyth Holiday Village or Clarach Bay just down the road, this beats trudging round the same seafront for the hundredth time. It's the sort of place that gets better on a second visit when you start recognising the paths. Free to access, no faffing about with entry fees. Best visited outside school holidays when it's quieter, though even then you'll rarely feel crowded. Worth the detour from your holiday base, particularly if you've got walkers in the group rather than toddlers.