Clifferdine Wood

You won't find a visitor centre or gift shop at Clifferdine Wood - it's simply a stretch of proper woodland on the edge of Gloucestershire that locals actually use rather than tourists queuing up for photos. The walks here wind through mixed deciduous trees, with paths that range from straightforward rambles to slightly muddier routes depending on the season. In spring the bluebells are decent, and the woodland canopy does a good job of keeping things cool on those rare hot days.

This isn't somewhere you'll spend half the day. Most people walk through in an hour or so, which makes it ideal as an add-on while staying at Mayfield Park or the Cirencester Club Campsite rather than a destination in itself. Families with younger kids will find it manageable enough - the terrain isn't steep and there's space to let them potter about without losing them entirely. Walkers heading out from Cirencester will appreciate the quietness and the fact you're not fighting through crowds.

The wood sits close enough to Cirencester to be a quick detour from the town, and if you're basing yourself at one of the nearby caravan sites, it's worth popping into between other Cotswolds activities. Don't expect anything manicured or signposted to death - it's functional woodland where you can actually hear yourself think. Go early on a weekend if you want solitude, or just accept you might bump into other locals doing the same walk you are.