Cole Wood

Cole Wood sits inland from Bexhill-on-Sea, a proper Sussex woodland that doesn't announce itself loudly but rewards a quiet walk. It's the sort of place where you actually hear birdsong instead of your own breathing - ancient oaks and beech trees packed dense enough that even on a crowded day it feels peaceful.

The woodland tracks are straightforward enough for families with decent walkers, though it's not a formal park with marked trails and signposts. You navigate by instinct mostly, which some find liberating and others find slightly annoying. The floor is soft with leaf litter and moss. Come in spring for bluebells if you can.

Don't expect facilities - there's no café, no visitor centre, no car park with tarmac. This is proper woodland, not countryside-lite. It's the sort of place to spend an hour, maybe ninety minutes, unless you're genuinely into standing still and listening. Kids will either love the freedom to explore and climb fallen logs or get bored once they've investigated the first ten metres.

If you're staying at Normans Bay Camping and Caravanning Club Site five miles away, Cole Wood makes a good morning outing before heading to the coast. It's free, clearly, being an open woodland. Go early or late to avoid the lunchtime dog-walker crowd. Proper woodland walking, nothing more, nothing less.