New Inn Copse

A small woodland patch on the outskirts of Wokingham, New Inn Copse is the sort of place you stumble into rather than plan a trip around. It's proper local stuff - mixed woodland with the kind of quiet that makes you realise how little of it there is left around Reading and Berkshire. The trees are thick enough to feel like you've actually gone somewhere, even though you're minutes from suburban streets.

Walkers get the most from this one. There are paths threading through, nothing too demanding, and it's the kind of spot where you might actually hear birds instead of traffic. If you're staying at Wellington Country Park just down the road, it's worth a morning ramble before heading back for activities there. Don't expect a visitor centre or facilities - this is woodland walking in its simplest form.

The real value here is as part of a broader Wokingham wander. It's free, naturally, and you can do it in an hour without rushing. Families with younger kids might find thirty minutes more realistic before the novelty of trees wears thin. Go when it's been dry, because the paths get properly boggy after rain and it's no fun trudging through mud when there's no payoff at the end - no vista, no ancient ruin, just trees being trees.

If you're basing yourself at one of the local holiday parks for a few days, tack it on as a morning walk. It breaks up the day and costs nothing. Just don't expect it to be the highlight.