Ashley Wood

The woodland around Ashley Wood, just east of Beccles, is proper Suffolk - all twisted oaks and damp earth underfoot, the kind of place that feels older than it probably is. It's not a formal attraction with visitor centres or marked trails, but rather a genuine working forest where you can actually walk without bumping into tour groups or finding your phone signal.

Walkers will get the most from this. The terrain is uneven and sometimes boggy depending on rainfall, so decent boots matter. You're looking at anything from a gentle potter to a couple of hours if you really explore, though there's no official map I could find - part of the appeal, frankly. The canopy is thick enough to feel like proper forest, which in East Anglia isn't always guaranteed.

It works well alongside a week based at one of the nearby parks. Henstead Fields is closest at just over two miles, while if you fancy something different, Dawn Chorus Holidays' safari tents and shepherd huts over on the working farm (4.6 miles) offer a nice contrast to traditional caravan parks. Parkdean's Kessingland site is further out but sprawls across five miles of seafront, so you could do woodland mornings and beach afternoons.

Go early or during the week if you can - locals clearly use this space, and solitude matters here more than spectacle. It's free, naturally, and you can turn up whenever. Don't expect facilities. Do expect to feel like you've found something genuine.