Mill Scar Wood

The woodland around Mill Scar sits just inland from Whitby, and it's proper worth the detour if you're after something beyond the seaside town itself. You're looking at dense forest floor - mostly beech and oak - with paths that wind through without being signposted to death. The walk itself isn't particularly long or demanding, which means families with younger kids won't find it tedious, but it's also not so easy that you'll feel like you've wasted your time.

What makes it work is the contrast. Come straight from Whitby's chaos and the forest closes around you within minutes. You get dappled light, proper shade on hot days, and that smell you only get in old Yorkshire woodland. The paths are mostly well-trodden and reasonably maintained, though mud is inevitable after rain - which it often is up here.

If you're staying at Broadings Farm Caravan Site, it's barely six miles away, so a half-day woodland walk fits perfectly into a broader park holiday without eating up your whole schedule. Walkers will get the most from it; the woodland itself isn't dramatic enough to draw people purely for views, but it's exactly the kind of place you'd visit to clear your head between visits to the coast or nearby attractions. Allow two to three hours including a slow pace and stopping to sit about. Go in spring when the bluebells are out, or autumn when the light cuts through the canopy properly. Summer gets crowded with school holidays and midges.