Curwen Wood

Curwen Wood is a proper walk through Lancashire woodland just outside Preston - the sort of place you head to when you need to get off the main roads and into something green. It's managed forestry rather than wild wilderness, so you get well-maintained paths without the usual chaos of trying to find your way through overgrown undergrowth.

The woodland itself is decent enough for a couple of hours' ambling. Trees, paths, the occasional clearing. If you've got restless kids they'll burn off energy here, though don't expect dramatic views or fairy-tale scenery - it's functional woodland that does the job. Walkers will appreciate having a proper route without fighting through brambles, and it's close enough to Preston that you can knock it out as a morning excursion without it eating your whole day.

Nobody seems to charge admission, and you can turn up whenever suits you. Go midweek if you want peace and quiet - weekends pull the local crowd. Spring's decent for bluebells if that sort of thing matters to you.

If you're based at one of the caravan parks within spitting distance - Orchard Glamping is barely a mile away, or Gibsons Barn just a touch further - it's a natural choice for stretching your legs between days at whatever else Lancashire's throwing at you. It's not a destination in itself, but it's exactly what you want when your kids need running about and you need a bit of forest air without leaving the region.