Great Lordings Wood

Great Lordings Wood sits just outside Pulborough and delivers proper woodland walking without the crowds you'd get at Sussex's more famous forests. It's a mix of mature broadleaves and conifers - the kind of place where you can actually hear yourself think, which in July is a genuine luxury.

The tracks through here are well-maintained and manageable. You're looking at anything from a gentle forty-minute loop to a couple of hours if you fancy wandering deeper in. Dogs love it, kids aged seven upwards will have fun spotting wildlife in the clearings, and if you're after a proper walk with a bit of elevation without it being punishing, this does the job. The light through the canopy in late afternoon is genuinely lovely - bring a camera.

It's free to access, though there's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of, so go equipped. Best visited mid-week if you can manage it, and early morning or late afternoon beats the midday heat.

If you're camping at one of the nearby spots - Sumners Ponds is close at just over three miles away, or push it a bit further to Knepp Wildland Safaris five miles down the road - Great Lordings makes a solid morning or evening excursion. It's not dramatic or rare, but it's genuine Sussex woodland that actually feels like a break from the routine. Good value for a forest walk when you've got flexibility with timing.