Ferry Meadows Country Park

Ferry Meadows, the heart of Peterborough's Nene Park, is a rare inland option that a hobbyist can realistically use legally - a big country park of lakes, meadows and the meandering River Nene. Encouragingly, Peterborough City Council explicitly permits drones on its public-open land provided you stay 50m from people, keep below 400ft and remain in sight. The catch is that the park is managed day-to-day by the Nene Park Trust, which may ask you to stop, so be courteous, launch from an open meadow well away from the watersports lakes, the miniature railway and the busy visitor centre, and don't fly over the crowds that fill the place at weekends. From height the string of lakes, the river's curves and the parkland make satisfying, calm compositions. Airspace-wise there is no FRZ, but note two active airfields: Sibson, a parachute and general-aviation strip about 6.5km west, and Conington around 9km south - keep a good lookout for low aircraft and gliders. This is a weekday-morning location; come midweek and early, pick a quiet corner of meadow, and you can fly the water and grassland in peace. Autumn mist rising off the lakes is particularly rewarding, as is a low winter sun across the meadows.