Big Wood

Walk into Big Wood and you're immediately surrounded by proper woodland - the kind with actual character rather than the manicured stuff you find near most caravan parks. It's a genuine forest, dense enough that you lose sight of the outside world within minutes, which is exactly what you want when you're camped nearby at places like Cote Ghyll or Whorlton Pods.

There's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of, so come prepared. The woodland itself is the attraction - mixed trees, woodland floor thick with moss and leaf litter, the occasional stream cutting through. You could spend two hours here or twenty minutes depending on how deep you want to walk. Families with primary school kids will find it decent enough for a morning adventure; older teenagers might find it a bit samey unless they're genuinely into woodland ecology.

The location is spot on if you're staying around Northallerton way. Close enough to your campsite that it's an easy morning walk, but far enough into the trees that it genuinely feels like you've gone somewhere. Spring's probably the best time - bluebells and birdsong - though winter's when you see the actual structure of the place through the bare branches.

Just be realistic about expectations. It's not a managed attraction with waymarked trails and Instagram moments. It's a wood. A proper one. That's both the point and the limitation, depending on what you're after.