Blyth Wood

Walk into Blyth Wood and you're immediately swallowed by proper old-growth woodland - the sort of place where light filters through in green-tinted shafts and the ground squelches underfoot even weeks after rain. It's forest as it should be, with no theme-park veneer or interpretation boards telling you what you're looking at. Ancient oaks stand shoulder to shoulder with birch and alder, and if you're lucky you'll spot roe deer slipping between the trees.

This is a walker's wood, no question about it. Families with young children will manage fine on the main paths, though it's not a manicured circuit - tree roots catch your boots, branches occasionally block your way. History types will appreciate its age, though there's nothing specific to see beyond the woodland itself. Plan on two to three hours if you're doing a proper exploration, less if you just want a pleasant wander from Worksop.

It's free to access, which is the main appeal alongside the genuine wildness. That said, facilities are minimal - no car park to speak of, no tearoom. You come here to be in the woods, not to consume. The real value emerges when you're basing yourself at one of the nearby holiday parks like Bawtry or Hallcroft Fishery. Blyth Wood becomes your daily escape from caravan life, something substantial enough to structure a morning or afternoon around without requiring petrol money or entry fees. Best visited autumn or winter when the undergrowth clears and walking's easier.