The Hollies

The Hollies is a proper woodland walk just outside Leeds, the sort of place you stumble upon and think "why isn't everyone here?" It's a nature reserve where you get genuine woodland - proper old oak and beech trees, not manicured park stuff - with footpaths that wind through without being overcomplicated.

What you're doing is walking. That's it. But it's good walking. The paths loop through the trees, and depending on which way you go, you're looking at anything from twenty minutes to an hour and a half. The ground can be boggy after rain, so come prepared. There's wildlife if you're quiet enough - birds mostly, nothing too exotic, but it's the kind of place where you notice things you'd miss in a park.

It works brilliantly for families with kids old enough to walk a bit without complaining, and for anyone after a proper country walk without driving two hours from Leeds. History buffs might find the old woodland management interesting, but you're not here for ruins or museums.

Stay at Fairmead Farm Glamping or Haighfield Holiday Park - both cracking spots within five or six miles - and you've got a solid morning or afternoon activity without the circus of a major attraction. Free to access, no visitor centre to queue for. Just get yourself there early, especially weekends, because word's clearly got out and car parks do fill up.