Cogden Wood

You'll want proper walking boots for Cogden Wood. It's a proper woodland block just outside Leyburn in North Yorkshire - the kind of place where you actually feel the damp earth under your feet and the canopy does a decent job of blocking out the sky.

The woodland itself is straightforward: mixed broadleaf and conifer, well-trodden paths, nothing demanding. You're looking at maybe an hour or two depending on how much you want to amble about. Families with young kids will get an hour's worth easily before someone demands snacks. Serious hikers might find it a bit limiting - it's more of a local ramble than a fell walk.

Best in spring or early autumn when the undergrowth isn't choking everything and you can actually see where you're going. Summer can feel claustrophobic with all the leaf cover, and winter just gets muddy.

If you're staying at Park Leisure's Yorkshire Dales holiday park nearby - which is about 6 miles away - Cogden Wood works as a half-day activity to stretch your legs without committing to a serious Dales walk. It's the kind of place you pop into because it's en route rather than a reason to drive out specifically. Nice enough, but don't expect anything dramatic. Good for breaking up a longer day, decent for letting the dog off lead, tolerable for reluctant walkers who'll complain less in woodland than on open moorland.