Cockmill Wood

Walk into Cockmill Wood near Glastonbury and you're immediately wrapped in the kind of Somerset woodland that feels properly removed from the tourist trail. The forest floor is thick with leaf litter, streams cut through the middle, and if you time it right in spring, the bluebells are genuine. It's a straightforward place - no visitor centre, no tea room, just trees and the occasional sound of water running over stone.

This is walker territory, full stop. You can spend two hours or half a day in here depending on how lost you want to get, and the terrain is manageable enough for fit kids but nothing spectacular for pushchairs. The streams make it interesting if you've got children who like getting their boots wet. In autumn the light through the canopy is worth the trip alone; in summer it's just nice and cool.

Being within a few miles of Tall Trees Glamping and Old Oaks Touring means you can couple this with other Glastonbury-area walks without overthinking it. It works as a half-day activity rather than a destination itself, though there's something refreshing about a wood that doesn't try to be anything more than that.

Free to access, no set hours that we can find - just turn up. The nearest parking is local knowledge territory, so ask at your accommodation. Best in autumn or spring when the woods actually feel alive rather than just green.