Shenstone

The woodland around Shenstone, just outside Macclesfield, gives you proper walking country without the crowds you'd find on the big tourist routes. It's not a manicured attraction with visitor centres and gift shops - just trees, paths, and space to breathe. The forest itself offers a few hours of decent rambling through mixed woodland, the kind of place where you actually hear birds instead of other people's phones.

Walkers will get the most from it. Families with young kids might find it a bit samey after the first hour or so, unless they're genuinely into spotting wildlife or collecting fallen branches. There's no entrance fee or formal opening hours that I can find - you simply turn up and go for a walk. Allow two to three hours if you want to properly explore rather than just dash through.

It works well as a leg-stretcher if you're based at one of the nearby caravan sites - Sycamore Farm Caravan Site is closest at just over a mile away, or Royal Vale and Woodlands Park, Cheshire are within five miles if you want a bit more choice. The Macclesfield area has enough going on that you wouldn't camp solely for Shenstone, but it's a solid addition to a week based in the North West, especially if you're after some genuine woodland without the visitor experience trappings.