Cheddar Reservoir is, as you might have guessed, a large man-made reservoir located between Axbridge and Cheddar. It's about 3 miles around, and due to the nature of its construction, slightly higher than the local area, providing great views from the path that goes around the edge. On a good day, or even a fairly average one, you can see as far as Glastonbury Tor, whilst behind you, sheltering you somewhat from the elements, are the Mendips and Cheddar Gorge.

I find there are two ways the reservoir walk works. There are days when being up high exposes you to the debatable joys of the English weather. There's enough of a reach across the reservoir for reasonable waves to build up from time to time and pour spray over the edge they crash up against. The wind rushes past your ears, drowning out all other sounds, and you pull your hat down and zip your coat up. The world is shrunk down to you and the elements.

Then there are the still days, the warm days, when the quiet grabs you. Suddenly, you're out in the middle of a huge, open space in a bowl edged by the horizon, with the gentle sound of water and bird life - and it's beautifully peaceful.

I walk around here on a nearly daily basis. As the seasons change, so does the water level and the attendant birdlife. I never realised how many species of duck there are before. Normal residents include a very well-fed mallard colony, swans, great grested grebes, pochards, and tufted ducks, depending on the season. There are occasionally rarer visitors stopping off on some migratory route - and out come the men with over-compensatory telescopes and cameras!

Along the north side of the reservoir is the Cheddar Valley Railway cycle path, which you can also walk down, fenced off from the fields. This gives the bunny rabbits a sense of security, and they can be found in their masses, watching you watching them, before their little white tails bob off into the distance.

Other "wildlife" includes the sheep that graze on the southerly slopes. There are three green woodpeckers that live over that way, too. I'm no bird expert, but the amount and variety around has driven me to buy a pair of binoculars and a book to try and identify what I've seen.

The reservoir is popular with dog walkers, joggers, and Sunday afternoon families. As you can park alongside in either one of two car parks and the path joining them is covered with tarmac, it's popular with those with young kids and ideal for those first bike rides, pushchairs, and duck feeding. There is a small sailing club based here that sails on Sunday and Wednesday evenings (in the summer), and it's fun to watch the dinghy racing. There are occasional events held, Dragon Boating racing for one, too.

All this on your doorstep - for free - can't be bad.