Old Park Wood

The woodland around Old Park Wood, just outside Nottingham, is proper pleasant if you're after a straightforward forest walk without any faffing about. It's ancient woodland - the kind where the trees have had centuries to get properly established - and you can tell immediately from the density of the canopy and the soft, springy floor underfoot.

What you get here is honest woodland walking. Dappled shade, the occasional glimpse of clearings, and enough path variation to stop things feeling monotonous. It's the sort of place where walkers will genuinely enjoy themselves, and kids can burn energy without the forest feeling too wild or threatening. The trees themselves are the main attraction - there's no visitor centre or interpretation boards, just you and the forest doing what it does best.

If you're staying at Janson Fishery Caravan & Camping nearby, this makes a solid morning or early afternoon outing before heading back for a cuppa. Allow a couple of hours if you're taking it slowly and actually looking at things. Spring is genuinely lovely here when the woodland floor comes alive, but honestly, it's worth visiting most of the year - autumn colours can be quite striking too.

It's free, naturally, and there's no mucking about with opening hours or facilities. Just turn up, park sensibly, and get on with it. Not Instagram-famous, not heaving with tourists - that's precisely why it's worth the drive from Nottingham if you want to escape without going miles out of your way.