Bell Wood

Bell Wood is a proper woodland walk just outside Dunstable - the kind of place where you can actually hear yourself think instead of fighting through crowds. It's a working forest with decent paths threading through beech and mixed woodland, and locals seem to rate it for a straightforward hour-long ramble without needing to navigate steep terrain or worry about getting hopelessly lost.

The wood works well if you're camping at Merlin Farm near Whipsnade Zoo and fancy stretching your legs without venturing far. It's genuinely close - barely a mile or so from the campsite - which makes it ideal for a morning walk before heading to the zoo, or an evening leg-stetch when the kids have had enough of the attractions. Hill Farm And Orchard is another option further afield if you're looking at the wider area.

Walkers will get the most from it. The paths are clear but unremarkable - no dramatic viewpoints or ancient monuments, just woods being woods. It's the sort of place where a three-year-old might get bored after 40 minutes, but teenagers rambling off the main track won't find much to complain about. The woodland floor is typical Buckinghamshire - damp in winter, pleasant underfoot in drier months.

There's no visitor centre, facilities, or information signage to speak of, so come prepared with a basic map or know where you're heading. Free to access, though it's clearly working land so stick to marked routes. Worth a visit if you're staying nearby, though you wouldn't drive specially from miles away.