Scroggs Wood

Walk into Scroggs Wood and you're immediately under proper dense woodland - the kind where the light filters green through the canopy and you lose the noise of the world within fifty metres. It's on Kendal's doorstep, which makes it ideal if you're staying at Kendal Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite or any of the parks dotted around the town, and you need a proper walk without driving for an hour.

The woodland itself is straightforward - mixed deciduous and conifer forest with good paths threading through. Nothing dramatic, but that's the appeal. You get ancient trees, quiet, the occasional sound of birds. It's the sort of place where families with young kids can let them run about without too much risk, though the paths can be muddy after rain. Allow an hour for a decent poke around, maybe ninety minutes if you're not in a hurry.

Truth is, it's not a destination in itself. You don't travel to Kendal for Scroggs Wood. But if you're based at The Ashes Caravan Park or Little Acre Holiday Park and the Lake District weather's turned rough, this gets you out and moving without committing to a full day's hiking. It's free, there's no bureaucracy about it, and it does what a wood should do - lets you breathe and think. Worth the trip from your caravan site when you fancy something low-key, nothing more.