Westhams Copse

Walking into Westhams Copse feels like stepping back a few centuries. This proper woodland sits just outside Cirencester and does exactly what a good forest should do - gives you space to breathe without pretence.

It's the sort of place where you can lose an hour wandering between mature trees without seeing another soul. The paths are straightforward enough, though not manicured - you're walking through actual woodland, not a municipal park. Beech and oak dominate, and depending on season you'll get either dappled shade or that particular quiet that only happens when leaves are thick overhead.

Worth coming for if you're based at Hoburne Cotswold or Cirencester Park Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite nearby. A morning walk here slots nicely before heading into Cirencester town itself. Families with children who actually like trees rather than playgrounds will get more from it than most. It's free, and you can do a decent circuit in 45 minutes to an hour, though there's no reason to rush.

Don't expect facilities - car park, maybe a gate, that's about it. Go when the ground isn't waterlogged, which in the Cotswolds means basically any time except after heavy rain. This is the kind of walk you don't remember because it's flashy, but because it's the sort of proper English woodland that's becoming rarer.