Helsett Wood

Walk into Helsett Wood and you're straight into proper Cornish woodland - the kind where the canopy closes above you and the light goes all dappled and green. It's a small forest, nothing vast, but it packs in everything you'd want: decent walking paths that don't demand full hiking boots, plenty of trees to explore, and the sort of quiet that makes you remember why you came to Cornwall in the first place.

For families, it's brilliant. Kids can burn off energy without you worrying they'll get hopelessly lost, and there's enough woodland character to feel like a proper adventure rather than a stroll round the park. Walkers will find it decent for an hour or so, combining it easily with other routes near Bude. Birdwatchers and anyone interested in local ecology will spot why the place matters - it's the kind of surviving woodland that matters more than you'd think in this part of the world.

Access seems unrestricted and it won't cost you anything, which is refreshing. Allow an hour for a proper wander, maybe ninety minutes if you're moving slowly. Spring and early summer are best - the bluebells and fresh growth make it genuinely lovely rather than just green.

It sits well within reach of the holiday parks dotted round Bude - Pencuke Farm is barely three miles away, and Bude Camping and Caravanning Club Site even closer. Pop in between a beach day and afternoon browsing Bude town centre. It's the kind of place that rounds out a coastal holiday nicely, especially if the weather's being temperamental.