Clewley Coppice

Ancient woodland that feels properly removed from the world, even though Brewood is only a stone's throw away. Clewley Coppice is the kind of place where you can actually hear yourself think - a real contrast to the manicured attractions that litter the Midlands.

The forest floor is thick with leaf litter and moss, and in spring the bluebells are genuinely worth timing a visit for. Walking trails wind through the coppice with no particular fanfare or signposting - you navigate by instinct more than anything else, which is half the appeal. The trees are gnarled and ancient in places, the sort that make you wonder who walked these paths centuries ago.

It's brilliant for anyone after a proper woodland ramble rather than a visitor centre experience. Families with kids old enough to manage uneven ground will get a kick out of the exploratory nature of it; toddlers might find it dull pretty quickly. Allow an hour to ninety minutes depending on how deep you fancy venturing.

What makes this work for a park-based holiday is the accessibility - you're minutes from Oakland Holiday Park or Pillaton Hall Farm, so it's ideal for stretching your legs between site activities without travelling far. Free admission and no opening hours to worry about means you can slip away at dawn if you fancy it. Just bring proper boots. The ground gets boggy, and that's part of the charm.