Common Plantation

The forest floor here is thick with pine needles and moss, the kind of place where you actually feel like you're away from Exeter despite being barely four miles out. Common Plantation is a proper woodland walk rather than a manicured tourist attraction - rows of conifers planted decades ago, with paths winding through that create their own sense of adventure.

What you get is straightforward: woodland trails suitable for families with older kids, the occasional clearing with decent views back toward the city, and the smell of actual forest which does something good for you. It's free to access and worth allowing an hour to ninety minutes to properly explore without rushing. Bring proper footwear though - it gets muddy after rain and boots beat trainers every time.

This works particularly well as a morning outing if you're based at Barley Meadow Touring Park or Sunsets & Marshmallows Glamping just down the road. Neither requires advance booking and both are close enough that you can slip out for a walk without it becoming a logistics exercise. Young kids might find it a bit samey after half an hour - there's no playground equipment or dramatic vistas to anchor their attention. But anyone who actually enjoys a forest walk, or wants to stretch the legs before a longer holiday, will find it genuinely worth the detour.

Go early on a weekday if you can. Weekends pull families from Exeter and it loses some of its quiet appeal.