New Barn Copse

Walk into New Barn Copse and you're immediately swallowed by proper woodland - the kind of place where the canopy gets thick enough to darken the path even on bright days. It's a small forest near Pulborough in Sussex, the sort of spot locals know but visitors often miss entirely.

What you get here is straightforward: tree-lined trails, woodland quiet, and if you're lucky, a bit of wildlife spotting. Deer sometimes appear in the quieter sections. The walks aren't long or complicated - most people manage a loop in under an hour - but there's something restorative about moving through dense trees when you've been driving around Sussex looking at holiday parks.

This works best for walkers who actually like walking, not for families wanting a tourist attraction with a gift shop. Kids under ten might find it dull unless they're the type who enjoy poking at logs and searching for insects. If you're into ornithology or just want to spend a morning somewhere that feels removed from the main roads around Pulborough, it's worth the detour.

Bring decent boots if there's been recent rain - woodland floors can get boggy. There's no visitor centre, no facilities as far as I can tell, and no admission charge. You simply turn up and walk. If you're staying at one of the nearby parks like Honeybridge Park or Fox Wood Campsite, it makes a solid alternative to another lap around the Arun valley. The woods are quietest on weekday mornings before the mid-morning crowd arrives.