Chilton Wood

Walk into Chilton Wood and you're immediately wrapped in proper Hampshire woodland - the kind of place where the light filters through in these soft green shafts and you can actually hear yourself think. It's a straightforward forest, nothing fancy, just a decent sprawl of trees near Alresford that works brilliantly if you want to stretch your legs without committing to a full day trek.

The woodland trails here suit families with kids who've got at least an hour's energy in them, and serious walkers after something quick and uncomplicated. You'll find yourself on narrow paths that wind through the trees, rooty in places, muddy after rain (so proper boots advised). There's a real sense of being away from it all, even though you're not far from civilization.

I'd reckon on an hour to ninety minutes depending on how meandering you fancy being. The whole place has that quiet, restorative quality you're after when you've booked into one of the nearby parks - The Spinney Caravan Park or Hampshire Hills both sit about six miles away, which makes Chilton Wood a natural morning outing before heading back for lunch. It's the sort of spot that fills time nicely without dominating your itinerary, and if the weather turns, at least you've got decent tree cover overhead.

Admission appears to be free. Go when it's dry if you can; after proper rain it becomes something of a boot-sucking experience.