High Hag Plantation

The Pennines push up around Bishop Auckland with a stubborn sort of beauty, and High Hag Plantation sits right in that landscape - a proper working forest where the trees actually outnumber the tourists. This isn't a manicured woodland with visitor centres and gift shops. It's the real thing: dense conifer plantations mixed with older broadleaf trees, cut through by footpaths that locals have been using for decades.

What you get here depends entirely on what you want from a walk. Come for solitude and you'll find it. The trails wind through quiet forest where the only noise is birdsong and your own feet on the path. Families with younger kids might struggle - there's not much in the way of facilities or obvious loops, and the terrain can be boggy depending on the season. But if you've got sturdy boots and don't mind getting them wet, it's worth the detour from the nearby caravan parks at Mickleton Mill or Westgate.

Forest photographers will find something worthwhile here, especially in autumn when the light cuts through the canopy in that particular golden way. Allow two to three hours for a decent circuit. There's no entrance fee that I'm aware of - you just park sensibly and go.

The real value? It's the contrast with the more trampled attractions around Bishop Auckland. This feels like actual countryside rather than packaged tourism. Not for everyone, but exactly right if you want forest rather than a family day out.