Deepdale Plantation

You won't find crowds at Deepdale Plantation. This is proper woodland - the kind of place where you actually hear birdsong instead of your own footsteps echoing back at you. Sitting just outside Beverley in East Yorkshire, it's a forest that rewards walkers who want to disappear into something green without traveling hours into the Pennines.

The plantation itself is straightforward: mixed woodland with established paths threading through, older trees alongside younger growth. It's the sort of place dog walkers seem to have worked out already, though you'll rarely feel hemmed in. Bring decent boots - the ground gets boggy after rain, and there's nothing worse than squelching through mud in trainers.

You'll get the most from this if you're the type who enjoys a quiet forest walk rather than a destination with visitor facilities. There's no cafe, no interpretation boards, no gift shop. It's just trees and air and the occasional deer if you're lucky. Allow an hour or so unless you're doing the longer loop routes - check locally for the current path network before heading out.

For a park holiday based near Beverley, Deepdale works as a breathing space between the caravan sites scattered around the area. Cherry Burton Leisure Park sits just 2.8 miles away, making this a handy morning or evening walk. It's not dramatic, and it won't make your Instagram feed, but that's rather the point. Sometimes the best forests are the ones nobody's shouting about.