Barn Wood

Walking into Barn Wood feels like stepping back about fifty years. The trees are proper old - oak and hornbeam mostly - and the paths are wide enough that you won't spend the whole time ducking under branches. It's ancient woodland, which means the undergrowth changes with the seasons: bluebells in spring, fungi carpeting the forest floor come autumn.

This is a walker's spot, plain and simple. Not a "bring the kids for an hour" kind of place unless they're the type who actually enjoy being outside. The woodland is managed, so you won't be scrambling over fallen logs, but you will be doing some actual walking. Allow a good two hours if you want to see what Barn Wood's about. The paths are reasonably well-marked, though an OS map wouldn't go amiss.

Billericay sits just to the west, so you're not far from civilisation if you need a coffee afterwards. If you're staying at Barleylands Campsite nearby, this makes an excellent morning walk before lunch - close enough not to eat into half your day, far enough away that you feel you've actually gone somewhere.

Free to access, as far as anyone can tell. No visitor centre, no facilities to speak of, just woodland doing what woodland does. That's rather the point. It won't blow your mind, but if you want an honest walk through proper Essex woodland without the crowds, you've found it.