Blackley Forest

Walk into Blackley Forest and you're trading suburban sprawl for proper woodland within spitting distance of Bury. It's not some vast wilderness - more a decent-sized patch of mixed woodland that locals have clearly cherished for years, with well-trodden paths that suggest plenty of footfall. The trees do their job: tall enough to make you forget you're on the edge of a built-up area, and quiet enough that you'll actually hear the birds.

Walkers will get the most out of this one. There's enough ground to cover for a proper hour-long ramble without it feeling like you're going in circles, and the terrain's gentle enough that it's not a slog. Families with kids who can manage their own two feet will find it manageable - though don't expect swings and slides. What you get instead is space to explore, fallen logs to clamber over, and that sort of freedom that makes children actually want to walk rather than whine.

The forest works brilliantly as a break between longer park days. If you're staying at Burrs Country Park Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite six miles away, this fills a morning nicely without eating into your day. Head here early if you can - the light filtering through the canopy's better before mid-morning, and you'll avoid the after-school crowd.

Bring decent footwear; the ground can be boggy after rain, and tree roots are everywhere. It's free to wander, which means there's no excuse not to give it a go.