East Morton Plantation

The forest at East Morton spreads across the landscape near Thornhill like someone's decided to plant an enormous, quiet sanctuary and then leave you to explore it properly. It's straightforward stuff - a working woodland with paths that let you wander through without any of the theme-park rigmarole. You get tall conifers and space to breathe, which is rather the point of coming to Dumfries & Galloway.

Walkers will find it solid rather than spectacular. The terrain is manageable, and you won't be battling through marshy bits if the weather's been reasonable. Allow a couple of hours if you're taking it slowly, poking about and actually looking at things rather than just ticking it off. Families with younger kids might find an hour plenty - it's the kind of place where a forest is a forest, not an adventure course with rope bridges.

The real appeal here is that it's genuine and unpretentious. No visitor centre, no café desperately trying to sell you overpriced coffee. Just trees and paths. That makes it exactly what you want when you're basing yourself at somewhere like Penpont Holiday Park nearby and need a morning out without faffing about.

Best visited when the ground isn't waterlogged - so spring through autumn really. Free access seems likely given it's a working forest, but worth ringing ahead to check if you're making a special trip. It won't change your life, but that's almost the charm.