Bedlime Wood

Walk into Bedlime Wood and you're immediately wrapped in proper Devon woodland - the kind where the canopy gets so thick that even mid-afternoon feels like dusk. It's a working forest, managed for timber, so don't expect manicured paths and benches. What you get instead are decent trails threading through a mix of conifers and broadleaves, with enough variation to keep things interesting.

This is walker territory, honestly. The forest sits just outside South Brent, making it an easy add-on if you're camping at South Devon Camping over at Lower Terawhiti Farm. Families with older kids will manage fine on the main routes, though younger ones might find it a bit relentless underfoot - there's mud, there's root systems, there's the occasional steep bit. You're probably looking at an hour to ninety minutes for a solid loop, depending on which direction you take and how often you stop to work out where you are.

The real appeal is the escape. You won't find crowds here. It's genuinely quiet, and on a clear day you catch glimpses south across the moor. Spring's particularly good when the light breaks through in that particular way woodland does. There's nothing fancy about it - no visitor centre, no ice cream van - which is precisely why it works. Come here if you want woodland that feels like actual woodland, not a photo opportunity. Bring a decent map or download the routes beforehand; signage is minimal.