Kemble Wood

Walk into Kemble Wood and you're genuinely surprised by how much peace you can find so close to Cirencester. It's a proper woodland - the kind where you forget about the car park within five minutes - with decent trails threading through beech and oak, the canopy doing its job when the weather turns. You get dappled light on the forest floor, birdsong that actually matters, and the kind of quiet that makes you remember why you left the city.

It's ideal for families with kids old enough to walk a mile or so without complaining, and walkers after a gentle ramble rather than anything strenuous. The woodland is accessible year-round, though autumn is when it earns its keep - the leaf colour here is genuinely worth the drive if you're staying at one of the caravan parks nearby. Cirencester Park Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite is only four miles away, so this fits neatly into a Cotswolds holiday without needing much planning.

There's no entry fee that we could find, and the site is open access - turn up when you like. Allow a couple of hours to do the main loops without rushing. The trails are well-worn enough to follow, though a map helps if you're inclined to wander. Don't expect facilities or facilities; it's just wood, paths, and air. That's rather the point. If you're camping nearby and want something between a proper walk and a lie-in, this does the job perfectly.