Greenlane Wood

Walking into Greenlane Wood feels like stepping back about fifty years - the sort of place where you actually lose phone signal and that's rather the point. This proper woodland sits just east of Dunstable in Hertfordshire, all tall beeches and conifers with enough undergrowth to make you feel genuinely away from things, even though the Chilterns are practically on your doorstep.

It's a straightforward forest walk, the kind where you can potter about for an hour or disappear for a half-day depending on your mood and leg strength. The ground can be boggy after rain - wear decent boots - but the canopy overhead means you'll stay relatively dry even when the sky's doing its worst. Kids tend to enjoy the exploring aspect, though it's not a destination with play equipment or facilities, so don't expect them entertained by installations.

Historically minded types might appreciate that this patch of woodland is typical of the Chilterns landscape - proper old forest rather than the neat plantation stuff you see elsewhere. There's something grounding about that continuity.

Free to access, as far as I can tell, though you'll want to allow at least ninety minutes for a decent ramble. The nearby farms - Fuzzy's Farm and Merlin Farm Camping are all within 4 or 5 miles - make sensible bases if you're camping in the area and want woodland walking without having to pack the car. Highridge Farm's shepherd huts would be pleasant too, though you're really just using Greenlane as one stop among several Chilterns walks rather than a day-trip destination on its own.