Darroch Wood

Walk into Darroch Wood and you're immediately swallowed by proper old-growth woodland - the kind where the canopy gets so thick you lose track of what time it is. It's a cracking spot just outside Blairgowrie, tucked into Perthshire's softer landscape, and honestly it feels a world away from the holiday parks dotted around the area.

The wood itself is straightforward: paths wind through mixed forest, mostly conifer with some deciduous trees breaking things up. You'll see plenty of birds if you're quiet about it. The whole thing takes maybe 45 minutes to an hour depending on which routes you pick, though there's nothing marked that I could see - you just follow what looks most trodden. It's the kind of walk that appeals to families wanting an easy woodland ramble, or anyone needing to burn off excess energy without needing a map and compass.

If you're staying at Blairgowrie Holiday Park or any of the others nearby - Beech Hedge, Corriefodly, Five Roads - this gives you a solid morning activity that won't eat into your whole day. It's free and unmolested, which is genuinely rare these days. Come in late spring when the bluebells are out, or autumn when the light filters through properly. Winter's fine too if you don't mind mud. The only thing: don't expect anything dramatic or a designated visitor facility. This is woodland as it should be - quiet, accessible, and yours to explore.