Kinson Village Green

The green at Kinson is the sort of place you'd stumble upon by accident, and that's rather the point. It's a proper village common - the kind with actual grass, benches that locals actually sit on, and none of the manufactured feel you get at some attractions. There's a pub nearby if you fancy a pint, and enough of a gentle vibe that you can plausibly spend twenty minutes here without feeling you've wasted the trip.

For families with young kids, it works well enough. They can run about, there's space to breathe, and it's free. History enthusiasts might find the bones of old Dorset village life interesting, though don't expect heritage boards or interpretive panels. What you're really getting is a sense of how things used to be - and still are, for the people who live here.

The nearest town is Ringwood, about a short drive away, which gives you a bit of scope if you're based at one of the surrounding holiday parks like Oakdene Forest Park or Forest Edge. If you're staying at Meadowbank Holidays or Ashley Heath Caravan Park, Kinson Green makes a decent stretch-the-legs stop between the park and a proper day out elsewhere.

Best visited on a dry afternoon when the light's decent for a walk. There's nothing keeping you here longer than an hour, and that's fine. It's a real village green doing what village greens do - existing quietly without apology.