Shaw Wood

A proper woodland walk just outside Thornhill, Shaw Wood is the sort of place you stumble into expecting nothing much and end up spending a good couple of hours pottering about. It's a mixed forest - some older broadleaf trees, plenty of conifers, a few tracks that feel like they've been there for generations. Nothing dramatic, but that's rather the point. You get the sense of real Dumfries and Galloway woodland, not some manicured nature reserve.

It works best for walkers and anyone who fancies a proper wander without elevation gain or scrambling. Families with primary-school kids will find enough to keep them occupied - streams to splash in, logs to balance on, the hunt for whatever wildlife you can spot. Teenagers might find it a touch dull unless they're the foraging type. History buffs won't find much here, and that's fine.

Bring proper boots; it gets muddy. There are no facilities to speak of, so come equipped. Two hours minimum if you're taking it slow, longer if you're dawdling. Best visited after rain when the woodland floor's alive with mushrooms and the whole place smells right.

If you're bunking at Penpont Holiday Park or the well-regarded Red Squirrel Campsite just a few miles away, this makes a cracking half-day break from park life. It's close enough that you're not wasting a whole day on getting there, far enough into proper trees that you've genuinely escaped.