Big Millhole Wood

Walk into Big Millhole Wood near Heathfield and you'll understand why locals keep quiet about it. This is proper Sussex woodland - dense, quiet, and the kind of place where you actually hear birdsong instead of the path-pounding of half the county's walkers.

It's a straightforward forest walk through mixed broadleaf trees, with good paths that don't demand proper hiking boots. The woodland floor is thick with leaf litter in autumn, which makes the whole thing feel slightly more adventurous than it probably is. There's something satisfying about being completely surrounded by trees - no views to distant hills, no photo ops, just you and the wood.

This suits people who actually want a walk rather than a destination. If your idea of woodland is a two-mile loop with a National Trust tearoom at the end, you might find it a bit bare. But if you're after the sort of place where you can walk for an hour and see almost nobody, it delivers. Families with younger kids will manage fine on the main paths, though there's not much in the way of obvious attractions - no play areas, no visitor centre, nothing twee.

There's no charge that I'm aware of, and you can spend anywhere from forty minutes to a couple of hours here depending on how thoroughly you wander. If you're staying at Hopgarden Glamping and Camping just down the road, it's an easy morning or afternoon slot without the crowds you'd hit at busier Sussex beauty spots.