Hoar Park

Walking into Hoar Park feels like stepping back about fifty years - it's proper woodland in the old-fashioned sense, all dense trees and leaf-covered paths rather than manicured trails with interpretation boards. The forest sits just outside Atherstone and gives you that rare thing: a genuine sense of being away from it all without needing to drive more than five minutes from town.

It's a straightforward place. You come here to walk among oak and beech, listen to what passes for quiet in the Midlands, and let the trees do their thing. There's no café, no visitor centre, no facilities to speak of - which is either exactly what you want or a reason to go elsewhere. Families with young children might find an hour here enough before boredom sets in; serious walkers and anyone after a proper woodland wander will be more satisfied. The paths are manageable but uneven in places, so decent footwear matters.

If you're staying at Nightingales Rustic Camping less than a mile away, this is your obvious morning outing before heading into Atherstone for lunch. It works as part of a wider Leicestershire park-hopping trip too - close enough to combine with other forests in the area without eating up your whole day. Free to access and open year-round, though autumn is when the place actually earns its keep. Allow a couple of hours if you're not rushing, but you could dash round the main circuit in forty minutes.