Parrot's Dell

The woodland around Parrot's Dell near Rickmansworth offers a genuine escape into proper forest - the kind where you can actually lose yourself for an afternoon without bumping into ice cream vans and selfie sticks. It's a wooded area with real character, popular with local walkers who know their way around the Buckinghamshire countryside.

What you're doing here is rambling. The Dell itself is a natural woodland feature, and it's the sort of place that rewards those willing to venture off the main paths. Families with older kids will find it engaging enough - there's something satisfying about exploring a proper wood rather than a manicured country estate. Younger children might flag after an hour unless they're keen on spotting wildlife and clambering over roots.

The walking routes through here connect well with the broader network around Rickmansworth, and it's genuinely pleasant in spring and autumn. Summer can be a bit thick with vegetation, which either appeals to you or doesn't depending on how much you like that slightly claustrophobic forest feeling.

If you're based at Wyatts Covert or Highclere - both solid caravan parks within a few miles - this makes an excellent morning or afternoon walk without having to drive anywhere. It's free, it's accessible, and it doesn't pretend to be anything grander than it is. Worth fitting in if you're in the area, though don't expect facilities or visitor infrastructure. Bring decent shoes.