Cliveden woodland car park

The car park at Cliveden is less a destination and more a gateway - the sort of place you pull into without fanfare and suddenly realise you're about to walk somewhere proper. Perched above the Thames near Maidenhead, this woodland car park serves the National Trust's Cliveden estate, and it's the practical starting point for exploring one of the Home Counties' most dramatic river valleys.

What you're really here for is access to the grounds and woodland walks that spread across the estate. The car park itself is unremarkable - functional tarmac ringed by trees - but step out and you're immediately in ancient woodland that feels worlds away from suburban Berkshire. The paths from here lead down to the river, past grand vistas of the Thames, and through sections of woodland thick enough to make you forget Maidenhead's only a few miles south.

Walkers will get the most from this. Families with younger kids might find the steeper descents a bit much, though there are gentler circuits if you know where to look. Allow two to three hours if you're doing a proper loop rather than a quick stroll.

Parking is straightforward if you time it right - weekday mornings beat the weekend crowds. It works brilliantly as part of a wider Thames Valley camping trip. Staying at RENT BELL TENTS or Hurleyford Farm puts you within easy reach for a day of woodland rambling, and you're close enough to chain together walks across the local parks. Not a landmark in the traditional sense, but the starting line for something genuinely worth walking.