Combe Wood

Dense woodland about five miles inland from Bexhill-on-Sea, Combe Wood is the sort of place you stumble into rather than plan a route to - which is precisely why it works. The forest floor is thick with leaf litter and fallen branches, the canopy proper old-growth stuff that blocks out most of the sky even in summer. Paths wind through without much fanfare, mostly muddy after rain, occasionally surfaced where they've worn down to compacted earth.

It's walkers' territory, really. The wood doesn't announce itself with visitor centres or coloured waymarks - you navigate by instinct and the occasional wooden post. Most people allow an hour to ninety minutes for a decent loop, depending on how deep you want to go. The air feels properly fresh, that damp woodland smell of moss and rotting wood, and in spring the undergrowth comes alive with bluebells. Winter's oddly lovely too when visibility improves and you can actually see the structure of the trees.

If you're camped at Normans Bay, it's a straightforward drive inland - close enough for an afternoon walk without eating your whole day. Don't expect facilities or signposting like you'd get at a managed country estate. This is working woodland, quiet and a bit rough round the edges. Kids who enjoy scrambling through undergrowth and spotting wildlife will get on with it fine; those after manicured paths and picnic tables will find it underwhelming. Free to access, naturally.