Billingside Wood

A walk through Billingside Wood rewards you with proper woodland - the kind where you can actually hear yourself think. It's mixed deciduous forest just outside Derecroft, the sort of place locals know but visitors often miss, and that's rather its appeal. The paths are well-trodden without feeling overcrowded, and you'll find yourself among oak, beech, and birch depending on the season.

What you get here is straightforward: a decent woodland walk, probably 45 minutes to an hour if you're not rushing. The trees do their job, light filters through, and you'll spot the occasional stream if water levels are decent. It's free, which helps. There's no visitor centre or tea shop - you're just walking in a wood, which some people love and others find a bit thin on amenities.

Families with primary-age kids will get an hour of peace out of this. Teenagers might find it dull unless they're into photography or genuinely prefer trees to screens. Serious walkers treating it as a quick morning exercise before heading to the pubs in Derecroft will rate it. History buffs needn't bother - it's just trees.

If you're staying at one of the nearby parks - Derecroft Glamping is closest at 2.5 miles, or Allensford Holiday Park Consett if you're further out - this works as a decent leg-stretch rather than a main event. Best visited in autumn when the woodland actually looks like something worth photographing. Spring's decent too. Winter can be muddy and rather bleak.