St John's Primary School nature reserve

A proper woodland walk tucked behind a primary school near Totnes, this nature reserve gives you the sort of forest experience you'd normally have to drive miles for. The trees are substantial, the paths wind through genuine woodland rather than manicured trails, and there's enough of it to lose yourself for a good hour without feeling like you're going in circles.

It's the kind of place where school groups actually learn something, which means the habitat management is taken seriously. You'll find different woodland types as you move through - broadleaf sections with decent moss coverage, spots where the canopy opens up. The reserve itself is small enough that families with younger children won't struggle, but there's genuine woodland texture to explore rather than just a loop around the edge.

Staying at Ashbourne Woods nearby makes this an easy morning expedition before heading elsewhere. The reserve works best outside term time when you won't be navigating around school runs, and autumn or winter when the paths are clearer and the understory less dense.

Word of warning: access arrangements can be a bit vague since it's attached to a school, so checking locally in Totnes before you go saves a wasted journey. Worth the detour if you're combining it with other walks in the area, but don't expect facilities or waymarking to rival a proper country estate. It's genuine local woodland, which is either exactly what you want or not what you're after at all.