Seaton Plantation

Just outside Peterlee, Seaton Plantation is a proper working forest - the sort of place where you can actually smell the trees and hear nothing but birds and the occasional chain saw in the distance. It's not a manicured country estate; it's real woodland management in action, which makes it feel far more authentic than some of the sanitised forests you find down south.

The plantation offers straightforward walking through mixed woodland, with paths that range from gentle ambles to proper hikes depending on which way you head. The canopy's thick enough that even on drizzly Durham afternoons - and there are plenty of those - you stay reasonably dry under the trees. It's a cracking spot if you want to tire out energetic kids without the playground crowds, and dog walkers seem to treat it as their personal kingdom.

Honestly, this isn't a destination attraction in the way a castle or museum is. You're not going to spend four hours here and feel you've had a day out. But if you're staying at The Barn at Easington or anywhere else nearby, it's the sort of place you'd pop into for a couple of hours mid-week, stretch your legs, and genuinely feel better for the air. The forest isn't trying to be anything it's not, and that's rather refreshing. Best visited when the ground's not waterlogged - so late spring through early autumn really.