Blackdown Wood

The forest floor at Blackdown Wood is thick with leaf litter and the smell of damp earth - genuinely restorative after time spent anywhere else. This isn't a manicured woodland with obvious trails and colour-coded signs. Instead, it's proper Sussex forest: dense, slightly wild, and the kind of place where you'll actually spot deer if you move quietly enough.

Walkers will find themselves in their element here. The woodland sits a few miles south of Lewes, and once you're in among the trees it feels properly remote despite being accessible. There are paths threading through, though nothing particularly formal - you'll need to pay attention or risk taking a wrong turn. That's part of the appeal, really. Bring a map.

Families should reckon on an hour or two depending on how young the kids are. Older children who can handle a bit of scrambling through undergrowth will get more from it than toddlers expecting neat paths. There's something genuinely engaging about letting them explore properly rather than shuttling them along marked routes.

If you're based at Wild Boar Wood Campsite nearby - and it's got excellent reviews - Blackdown makes a proper walk for an afternoon. The forest works best on overcast days when the light filters through the canopy and everything feels atmospheric. Come in spring if you can; the bluebells here are worth the trip alone.