Coppice Mawr Wood

The woodland floor at Coppice Mawr is thick with moss and ferns, the kind of place where you actually notice the smell of damp earth and rotting leaves. It's a proper working nature reserve in Monmouthshire, just outside Chepstow, and honestly it feels less touristy than some of the bigger Welsh woodlands you'll encounter.

You're walking through mixed broadleaf woodland here - oak, ash, hazel - with a stream running through parts of it that you can hear before you see it. The paths are manageable but muddy after rain, so don't come in your good shoes. There's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of, which is either a point in its favour or against it depending on your view. You won't find crowds, and you won't find loos either.

Walkers will get the most out of this. Families with young kids might find it a bit samey after thirty minutes unless they're into spotting birds and insects. Serious nature types could easily spend two hours here if they know what they're looking for - woodland birds are decent, and the stream supports the usual suspects: dragonflies, damselflies, that sort of thing.

It's free and open-access, which is refreshing. Allow an hour minimum, longer if you're the dawdling sort. If you're staying at Penhein Glamping nearby, it's an easy morning or late afternoon wander before heading back for food. Not essential to your holiday, but a solid alternative to the busier forest parks in the area.