Park Copse

You'll find yourself walking among tall pines and mature deciduous trees the moment you step into Park Copse, just outside Godalming. It's a proper woodland experience rather than a manicured country estate - the kind of place where you actually feel like you're in a forest, not wandering around someone's back garden.

The main draw is straightforward: walking trails that wind through the trees, with enough variety to keep you interested for an hour or so. The canopy is thick enough that even on warm days it stays cool down there. Families with younger kids will get a decent walk in, though there's nothing flashy - no play equipment, no cafe, just trees and paths. If your children are the sort who like poking about in woodland and spotting things, they'll be fine. If they need constant entertainment, they'll get restless.

The forest works well as a morning outing before heading back to your glamping spot. Little Cowdray Farm Glamping is barely two miles away, making it an easy detour. Similarly, if you're staying at Tilford Woods Lodge Retreat - about four miles north - you could easily combine this with a visit to Tilford village itself, which has considerably more going on.

Go in autumn when the light filters through differently, or after rain when the whole place smells properly alive. Spring's decent too, though you'll share it with more walkers. Admission appears to be free, which is the only sensible way to charge for a woodland - you either want to walk in it or you don't.