Cossical Copse

Walking into Cossical Copse feels like stepping back several centuries. This woodland near Stockbridge is proper old-growth forest - the kind where ancient trees create a green cathedral overhead and the ground beneath your feet is thick with leaf litter and moss. There's no visitor centre, no tea shop, no crowds. Just trees, birdsong, and the occasional shaft of light breaking through the canopy.

It's the sort of place that rewards a slow meander rather than a brisk march. Families with younger children might find an hour enough, though older kids and keen walkers will happily spend two or three hours here, spotting woodland birds and picking out the gnarled character in the older oaks. History buffs will appreciate that this is genuinely ancient woodland - the landscape here hasn't changed fundamentally in hundreds of years.

There's no admission charge that we know of, and you can access it freely. Come in autumn or early spring when the undergrowth is less dense and you can actually see into the woodland rather than just pushing through ferns. Summer's lovely too, but bring insect repellent.

If you're staying at Stockbridge View, The Meadow Glamping, or the Salisbury Hillside Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite, Cossical Copse makes an excellent morning or afternoon outing. It pairs well with a pub lunch in Stockbridge itself - the Test Valley setting means good walking country all around this corner of Hampshire.