Cartlidge Wood

The woodland around Cartlidge Wood offers proper walking territory if you're staying at one of the caravan parks dotted around this corner of Staffordshire. It's genuine forest walking rather than a manicured country estate - the kind of place where you'll actually notice the seasons changing in the trees rather than just looking at them from a café terrace. From Macclesfield it's straightforward to reach, and once you're in, the paths are solid underfoot, good for families who don't want a gruelling trek but want to feel like they've actually been into the woods.

The appeal is straightforward. You get tree cover, some decent shade on warmer days, and enough paths threading through to make it feel like proper exploring rather than a loop around a car park. The wood works well as a half-day outing - give yourself two hours and you won't feel rushed. Kids won't get bored if they're the type to enjoy spotting wildlife and climbing over fallen logs, but there's no playground or visitor centre, so expecting entertainment facilities is pointless.

It sits well with the local park holiday setup. Kiss Wood Cabins is barely a mile away, and if you're camped at Rudyard Vale or Sky View, you've got decent walking without needing to drive far. Worth fitting into a long weekend in the area if you're after some genuine woodland time. Best visited when it's not been hammering with rain - the paths get boggy.