Gosford Forest Park

Gosford Forest Park sprawls across 300 acres of proper woodland just outside Markethill, and it's the sort of place that rewards a proper wander rather than a quick dash through. You get mixed forest - oak, beech, conifers - with walking trails threading through at different paces, from gentle loops around the lake to longer treks into the deeper woods. The lake itself is genuinely lovely in decent light, and there's enough open space that children don't feel hemmed in by trees for hours on end.

Walkers will get the most out of this. It's not dramatic landscape stuff - no sudden cliffs or mountain views - but it's exactly what you want if you're based at somewhere like Tepee Valley Campsite nearby and need a solid morning's ramble without driving anywhere. The trails are well-marked and not boggy even after rain, which matters in Northern Ireland. Allow two to three hours if you're doing a decent loop.

What works here is the quiet. You won't fight crowds even on weekends. It's free to enter, and there's decent parking. The downside - and it's worth knowing - is that if you're after dramatic scenery or heritage features, you'll find it a bit thin. This is a woodland walk, pure and simple. It's not about views or stories. But if that's what you want on a damp Tuesday in Armagh, it does it well.