Old Pool Plantation

The woods around Old Pool Plantation near Market Drayton are proper quiet - the sort of place where you actually hear birds instead of traffic. It's a working forest rather than some manicured nature reserve, with tall conifers mixed in with older broadleaves, and paths that wind through without too much faffing about with signage.

Walkers will find this worthwhile, particularly if you're after something low-key between bigger days out. The terrain's gentle enough that you won't need fell boots, though it can get muddy after rain. Allow a couple of hours to loop around without rushing. The pool itself sits quietly in the trees - not some dramatic feature, just a proper woodland pond that adds a bit of focus to a ramble.

It's free to access and works well as a morning excursion if you're staying at Westcott Woods Glamping just four and a half miles away. You could easily combine it with a poke around Market Drayton's town centre afterwards, or use it as a warm-up before tackling longer walks elsewhere in Shropshire.

Families with young kids might find it a bit samey after the first half-hour - it's woodland, not a playground - but older children who enjoy spotting wildlife will get on with it fine. The real appeal is the sense of being away from things rather than any single knockout feature. Go on a weekday morning if you want genuine solitude.