Stoney Plats

Stoney Plats is a proper woodland walk just outside Haywards Heath in Surrey - the kind of place locals know but visitors often miss. You're walking through dense forest where the ground is thick with pine needles, occasional clearings open up to sky, and there's genuine quiet. The 'stoney plats' themselves are areas of exposed sandstone, rough underfoot and slightly surreal against all that greenery around them.

It's best for walkers who want something low-key rather than a destination in itself. Children will tolerate it for forty minutes or so - there's exploring to do among the trees, scrambling potential on the rocks, but it won't hold their attention for hours. History buffs won't find much here, and it's not a scenic viewpoint type of walk. What you get is woodland atmosphere, which is either exactly what you want or not what you're after at all.

The walk itself is free and there's no faffing about with opening hours or admission - you just turn up. Allow an hour for a decent loop, less if you're rushing. Given you're staying at one of the nearby campsites - Worth Forest Glamping is closest at under two miles - Stoney Plats makes a good morning walk before heading elsewhere in the day. Don't expect it to be the main event of your holiday. Pair it with a visit to nearby High Weald or other Surrey walking routes if you're after a proper forest day out.