Briery Bank Wood

There's something about Lancashire woodlands that stops you in your tracks - Briery Bank Wood, just outside Clitheroe, is exactly that kind of place. A proper forest walk through mixed broadleaf trees, it's the sort of spot where you can actually hear yourself think. The paths wind through mature woodland with decent variety - oak, beech, and birch mostly - and in spring the floor comes alive with bluebells. Worth going for that alone.

Walkers will get the most from this one. It's not a vast destination - you're looking at maybe 45 minutes to an hour for a decent loop - but it's well-maintained enough that you won't spend the afternoon picking your way through nettles. Families with younger kids might find it a bit limited unless they're into spotting birds and fungi. Older children will be fine, though it's not the sort of place with adventure playgrounds or cafes, so come prepared.

Access is straightforward from Clitheroe, making it ideal if you're based at one of the nearby holiday parks - Calder Farm is barely over a mile away, and Holgates Ribble Valley just 2.5 miles - so it works nicely as a morning wander before heading elsewhere in the valley. Free admission, naturally. The woodland doesn't demand hours of your time, which is precisely why it works: a proper reset before moving on.