Ah family walks. Don’t you just love ’em? As much as I do love them, the girls have both hit a tricky age for walks. The Not So Tiny One LOVES walking so getting her in a carrier is always a bit of a battle… but she doesn’t last long. The Little Big One on the other hand is a little more reluctant and tires quickly, unless there’s something on the route that holds her attention, but she’ll almost always need carrying eventually. This means that the walks we love the best – sweeping walks in the hills – tend to begin and end with the following scenario: 10 minutes and approximately 30 steps in, enthusiasm wanes, protests start and no amount of cajoling will help them appreciate the wonderful views or the grazing sheep so you pause for an energising snack and hope that it’ll buy you another 10 minutes (it doesn’t always work).

It’s a different story with a pram though. Ah yes, the pram enables us to go the distance. And there are some lovely, accessible walks around. Ham Wall and the Avalon Marshes are a prime example.

We’ve been to Ham Wall a few times. It’s an RSPB site and is home to a wetland teeming with wildlife – from water voles and otters to herons and kingfishers. It offers stunning views across the marshes to Glastonbury Tor and is wonderfully tranquil.

You can opt to stick to the main path which runs through the heart of the reserve, called the Ham Wall loop, which is wide and flat and just under 3km long. This footpath is part of an old railway track that links to Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve, which is across the road from Ham Wall, and Glastonbury (so you could, in theory, go all the way from Ham Wall to Glastonbury – around 4 miles in total). As well as the main path, there are a couple of short pram and wheelchair accessible boardwalks (the one we walked was 200m) that take you a little further into the marshes and give you a better glimpse of the wildlife without venturing too far. The Little Big One was very excited to spot a heron.

If you’re not reliant on a pram, there are also two grassy trails that take you through the marshes. These are both between 1-2km long and, I imagine, can get pretty wet and boggy so only attempt with good footwear!

As well as being pram friendly, Ham Wall is great for bikes too (it’s actually a cycle route). We’ve found that the Little Big One can go so much further on her bike, meaning we get to stride out a bit too! She loved having the freedom to go off ahead of us (it’s a straight path so you can see for miles) and she enjoyed bumping along the boardwalk too.

There’s a nice little picnic spot adjacent to the car park and the Visitor Welcome building (there are toilets too, always handy) but if you prefer to walk first and lunch along the way there are a couple of semi-covered viewing platforms and bird hides dotted around that offer a bit of shelter from the chill or the rain. Just remember to be respectful of the resident twitchers who may not take kindly to loud chatter that might spook the birds.

Also near the Visitor Welcome building there are a number of wooden carved sculptures for children to find and a willow eel tunnel to play in.

This time of year is a great time to visit Ham Wall as it’s prime starling murmuration season, where hundreds of thousands of starlings congregate and roost in the reed beds overnight. Starling murmurations are one of nature’s wonders and the Avalon Marshes are one of the best places in the UK to witness the spectacle. It’s an incredible sight and well worth making the trip for. Dusk is the best time to visit if you’re looking to catch the murmurations at their best (head there for 3:30/4pm), although it gets very busy throughout December and January so expect crowds!

As well as offering great family walks and bike rides, the team at Ham Wall run a variety of events throughout the year during school holidays. Check their website for details.