Windmill Wood

Three miles from Knutsford, Windmill Wood is a proper working forest rather than some manicured country park. It's the kind of place where you'll actually find mud under your boots and proper woodland rather than twee woodland walks with benches every fifty metres.

What you get here are decent walking trails threading through mature trees. It's not massive - you won't need all day - but it's thick enough to feel like proper countryside even though Cheshire's towns are right on the doorstep. The woodland floor is carpeted with bracken in summer, and it can be quite atmospheric on quieter mornings.

Walkers and families wanting space to let kids burn energy will find it worthwhile. It's not a destination attraction - don't travel an hour for it - but if you're staying at Royal Vale Caravan Park or Greenfields Campsite, it's a cracking two-hour outing. Pickmere Leisure Park sits at the eastern edge of this part of Cheshire, and Windmill Wood works well as a morning walk before heading into Knutsford for lunch.

There's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of, which is actually rather refreshing. Come prepared for variable weather - it can be quite damp underfoot even days after rain. Best visited during drier months when the ground's more forgiving. Access appears free, though information is thin on the ground. It's straightforward local woodland - treat it as such and you'll leave happy.