New Marls wood

Walk into New Marls Wood and you're straight into proper Lancashire countryside, just a couple of miles outside Clitheroe. It's a modest woodland - not vast, but genuine and well-maintained, with good paths that don't require any special fitness. The trees are mixed, mostly broadleaf, and depending on the season you'll either get a dense canopy or clear sightlines through to the surrounding farmland.

This is the kind of place walkers genuinely enjoy. No crowds, no visitor centre, just woodland. The paths are easy enough for families with young kids, though there's nothing flashy about it - no playground, no café, just you and the trees. Adults looking for a proper walk will find decent circuit routes of varying lengths. The whole thing takes somewhere between 30 minutes and two hours depending on which trails you follow.

Best visited in late spring when the undergrowth is lush, or autumn when the light cuts through the canopy properly. Clitheroe itself is worth a look - proper little market town with good cafés and pubs - so you could easily pair a woodland walk here with time in town.

It pairs well with the holiday parks nearby: Pendle View is closest at just over two miles, Wigwam Holidays Ribble Valley at 3.8 miles, and the Clitheroe Camping Club site a bit further out. If you're staying anywhere in the valley, this is a useful spot for stretching your legs without traveling far. Free to access, free to park.