Winnacott Park

The walk through Winnacott Park starts gentle enough, but within ten minutes you realise you've stumbled into proper woodland - the kind where light filters through oak and beech in that particular way that makes you forget you're only a few miles from Launceston. This nature reserve isn't a manicured thing. Paths wind through genuine habitat, and if you're lucky with timing, you'll spot woodland birds that most people never bother to wait for.

It's the sort of place that works brilliantly for families who can tolerate a bit of mud and want their kids to actually move around rather than queue at attractions. Walkers get genuine woodland miles here without the moorland slog. If you're into birds or wild flowers, the reserve pays proper attention to what grows and lives here - you'll see information boards that don't patronise.

Allow a couple of hours minimum if you're doing the full circuit; an hour if you just want the main loop. There's no grand viewpoint or visitor centre, which means it stays quiet even when the weather's decent. Admission details are thin on the ground, but nature reserves in Cornwall are typically free or ask for a modest donation.

If you're based at Trewithen Farm Glamping or Ekopod just down the road, this makes an excellent morning outing before heading elsewhere. It's real woodland rather than countryside theatre - and that's precisely why it's worth the detour.