Cock Robin Wood

A small woodland patch between Rugby and the Leicestershire border, Cock Robin Wood is the sort of place you'll either stumble upon by accident or deliberately seek out if you're after a quick forest walk without the faffing about. It's proper woodland - deciduous trees, leaf litter underfoot, the works - but don't expect anything grand or signposted within an inch of its life.

The wood itself is ideal for a brisk 20-minute wander or, if you've got restless kids in tow, somewhere they can actually run about without you losing sight of them entirely. There are no facilities here that I'm aware of, no visitor centre or café, so you're looking at a straightforward ramble through the trees. It's free, naturally, and you can turn up whenever you fancy.

If you're basing yourself at one of the nearby parks - Meadow Field Glamping, Caravanning and Camping at Manor Farm, or Eriba Glade just down the road - this makes a decent escape route on an afternoon when the weather's being cooperative. It's the sort of spot you pop into rather than plan your whole day around. Come autumn and the leaves are turning, it's genuinely worth the drive from Rugby. Summer's fine too, though you'll want to time it right to avoid the midges. Real woodland, unpretentious, no nonsense. That's Cock Robin Wood.