DUNSTABLE DOWNS, BEDFORDSHIRE

Winter is a spectacular season for walking at Wicken Fen, especially as the all-weather boardwalk offers good footing even in cold or wet weather. It’s also the perfect time to spot a whole range of amazing wildlife, from winter wildfowl and owls to hen harriers and starlings. You might even see some of them coming in to roost towards dusk as the sun sets over Sedge Fen. Lode Lane, Wicken, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 5XP Sheringham Park is a peaceful spot: the perfect place to escape all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, or to walk off those calories after the big day. You’ll find plenty of peace and quiet here, interrupted only by birdsong and maybe a steam train passing through the park (not, unfortunately, the Polar Express). There are one and a half miles of surfaced path for those wanting to avoid getting too muddy, or looking for a route that is buggy or wheelchair-friendly. The views of the Norfolk coastline under a wide East Anglian sky are quite stunning. Upper Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8TL Dunstable Downs has long been a popular spot for Boxing Day and New Year’s Day walks, and it’s not hard to see why. Join one of the festive guided walks and you’ll get to enjoy a 90-minute to two-hour leg-stretch in the company of other friendly pedestrians. Alternatively you can embark on an exhilarating self-guided route across the Downs, where you’ll pass Iron Age hill forts and ancient burial mounds, as well as undoubtedly spotting some of the local wildlife. Look aloft and you may well see adventurous balloonists or glider pilots taking advantage of the uplifting thermals. Whipsnade Road, Whipsnade, Dunstable LU6 2GY