Softley Covert

The woodland around Softley Covert near Bishop Auckland is proper walking territory - dense enough to feel like proper forest, but manageable enough that you won't need a machete. It's the sort of place where the light filters through the canopy in those lovely golden shafts, especially on an autumn afternoon when the leaves are turning.

You're looking at a straightforward woodland walk here. There are paths threading through, nothing too demanding, and it works well if you've got kids who need a bit of freedom to run about without getting completely lost. The trees do most of the work - sessile oaks and birch mostly, with enough undergrowth to make it feel wild without being impenetrable. Walkers will appreciate it as a proper break from open moorland, and it's close enough to Bishop Auckland that you can combine it with a proper walk elsewhere in the area without wasting half the day driving.

Best tackled in autumn or spring when you're not fighting through midges or sodden summer bracken. Allow a couple of hours if you're being leisurely, though you could knock it out in 45 minutes if you're just after a stretch of the legs. It's free, as far as anyone can tell - there's no visitor centre or café, which is both the honest truth and part of its charm.

Stay at one of the nearby sites - Stag Park is only a couple of miles off, or Cragwood if you fancy riverside pitches - and use Softley Covert as part of a wider walking circuit. It's the sort of woodland that makes sense as part of a day out rather than a destination unto itself.