Scrubbs Wood

The woodland around Scrubbs Wood offers proper old-school Hertfordshire walking - the kind where you lose the sound of traffic within five minutes and start noticing things again. It's east of St Albans, so handy for a morning or afternoon escape without driving too far from anywhere decent.

What you get is classic English woodland: mixed deciduous trees, the sort of floor that's either mud or leaf-litter depending on the season, and enough quiet to actually hear birds. There are established paths through, though nothing marked with military precision - you need a bit of map sense or you'll be backtracking. It's the sort of place walkers appreciate far more than Instagram tourists, which is precisely why it works.

Plan on an hour to ninety minutes for a decent circuit. It's not vast, but it's substantial enough that you won't feel cheated. Family groups with kids old enough to walk properly will manage fine; toddlers might struggle on muddier patches. No café, no facilities as far as I can tell, so bring water.

If you're staying at Fuzzy's Farm - the caravan site just six miles away - this makes a solid half-day addition to your park holiday without being a major production. Pair it with a wander round St Albans town itself for a full day out. You won't need more than this one afternoon though, so don't block out your whole itinerary for it.