Cow Hill Plantation

The woodland at Cow Hill isn't flashy, but it's proper worth a visit if you're staying anywhere near Louth. It's a genuine working forest - rows of conifers mostly, with decent paths threading through that give you a real sense of being somewhere remote, even though you're only a couple of miles from town.

What you get here is straightforward: woodland walking. The paths are well maintained, and there's enough variation in the terrain to keep things interesting. You can do a quick circuit in forty minutes or potter about for a couple of hours if you're the meandering type. The light filtering through the trees does something rather lovely on an autumn morning, and the air smells how forests ought to smell.

This works best for walkers who want peace and quiet rather than anything else. Kids might find it a bit samey after a while - there's no playground or visitor facilities that I could see, just trees and paths. Dog owners will like it though. If you're based at one of the nearby parks - Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape is barely down the road - it makes an excellent morning escape before heading back for lunch.

Best visited when the weather's decent. Muddy in winter and a bit oppressive in high summer when everything's thick and dark. Spring or autumn hits the sweet spot. As far as I could tell there's no admission charge, but facilities are minimal, so bring your own water.