Father Wood

Deep woodland paths and open glades make Father Wood a proper tonic if you're camping at Church Farm Ardeley and fancy a walk that doesn't require a car journey. It's ancient forest - the kind where you can actually lose yourself for an hour without seeing another soul, which feels rarer than it should be these days.

The woodland floor here is soft underfoot, carpeted with moss and leaf litter. In spring it's carpeted with bluebells too. There are established paths threading through, though nothing too well-signposted, so bring a map or phone signal if you're not confident navigating by instinct. The canopy is thick enough to keep things cool even on warm days, and there's a genuine sense of being removed from the world - Ware feels a million miles away even though it's barely on the horizon.

It works best for woodland walkers rather than families with small children needing constant entertainment. Older kids who enjoy spotting wildlife and exploring will get hours from it. Allow two hours minimum if you want to see anything beyond the fringe paths.

Free to access, no facilities that we could find - bring water and dress for mud. If you're based at Church Farm, it's a decent morning or late afternoon jaunt rather than a full day's outing. The real value is that it's quiet, genuinely wild in patches, and close enough to base camp not to swallow petrol money.