Ross-on-Wye

Canoes drift lazily past the sandstone cliffs while kayakers test their mettle against the Wye's gentle rapids. Ross-on-Wye sits pretty on a bend in the river, its market square crowned by a 17th-century market hall that still draws crowds on Thursday and Saturday mornings.

The town proper feels refreshingly unhurried. Independent shops line the narrow streets radiating from the market square, while the Wilton Roundabout - that peculiar traffic island with its own miniature park - marks the gateway to the Forest of Dean. Up on the Prospect, the views stretch across the Wye Valley towards the Welsh hills.

Woodland walks are everywhere you look. Cockshoot Wood offers proper rambling territory just outside town, while the forests of Hartshill Wood and Upper Perlieu Wood provide shaded trails perfect for hot afternoons. Bury Hill rewards the climb with sweeping panoramas across Herefordshire's green patchwork.

Art lovers shouldn't miss Wobage Farm Craft Workshops, where local makers display everything from pottery to metalwork in converted farm buildings. The Beeches Art Collective showcases contemporary pieces in a more traditional gallery setting. For something completely different, the Lea Bailey Light Railway chugs through countryside that hasn't changed much since Victorian times.

Getting here is straightforward enough - the A40 delivers you from Gloucester in 45 minutes, while the M50 junction is a quick hop away. The nearest train station is actually in Lydney, about 20 minutes by car.

Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense for exploring both the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean. You're close enough to nip into Ross for provisions or a proper pub lunch, yet surrounded by some of England's most unspoilt countryside. The river's right there for messing about in boats, and those forest trails won't walk themselves.