New Plantation

New Plantation is a proper woodland walk on the edge of Melksham - the sort of place locals know about but tourists miss entirely. It's an old forestry plantation that's been left to do its thing, with dense conifers and a decent network of paths threading through. Nothing fancy, just trees and the occasional shaft of light cutting through the canopy.

The walk itself takes about an hour if you're taking it slowly, though you can dash round in half that if you're after a quick leg-stretch. It's decent for families with kids old enough to manage uneven ground - the paths aren't maintained to death, which is either a plus or a minus depending on how you feel about proper woodland. The main draw is the peace. You won't find benches or cafes or interpretive boards explaining which tree is which. It's just you and the forest, which some people find brilliant and others find a bit pointless.

It works well as a filler if you're staying at one of the caravan parks nearby - Piccadilly is barely two miles away, and Devizes site is almost as close. After a morning here you could easily head into Melksham itself for lunch. Go in autumn when the light's golden and the place feels a bit less dreary than it does in summer when the conifers block everything out. Free to wander, no facilities, no hassle. Best thought of as a woodland ramble rather than a destination in itself.