Pudding Cake Shaw

A proper woodland walk tucked between Hastings and the coast, Pudding Cake Shaw is exactly the sort of place locals know about and visitors stumble upon by accident. The forest floor here is thick with moss and fallen leaves, the kind that squelch underfoot after rain and smell like genuine woodland. It's a small patch compared to Sussex's other forests, but that's rather the point - you can be deep in the trees within minutes of parking, without needing to commit to a half-day expedition.

The walk itself is straightforward and muddy in patches. You're threading through mixed woodland, nothing dramatic, just proper forest atmosphere. Family groups will manage it easily enough, though the youngest might get bored if you're looking for dramatic vistas or adventure playground facilities - there aren't any. What you get instead is quiet. Real quiet.

If you're staying at Winchelsea Sands Holiday Park just down the road, this makes a cracking hour's break from the caravan or chalet, especially on one of those overcast Sussex afternoons when the beach feels a bit grim. It's free, which helps, and you can turn up whenever suits. No gates, no opening hours nonsense. Wear decent boots though - the woodland drains poorly and you'll end up soggy otherwise. Not a destination trip on its own, but a genuine little pocket of forest that does what it says on the tin.