Hanging Covert

The woodland around Hanging Covert, just outside Longney in Gloucestershire, is exactly the sort of place that rewards a proper wander rather than a quick visit. You're walking through deciduous forest - oak, ash, beech - with the kind of dappled light you get in autumn when the canopy's thinning out. The floor's thick with leaf litter and fallen branches, so it's not manicured or managed-looking. That's rather the point.

It's brilliant for walkers who want something quieter than the main tourist trails. Families with kids will find enough to keep them occupied for an hour or two - there's space to explore, logs to clamber over, the general sense of being somewhere proper wild. History types might be interested in the name itself, which speaks to the area's medieval past, though there's not much on the ground to read off.

There's no entrance fee as far as I can tell, and no formal opening hours - you just rock up and get walking. Allow a couple of hours if you're not rushing. Spring and early summer are best; winter can get a bit boggy underfoot.

Being within a few miles of Baldwin's Brook, Apple Orchard, and West End Farm makes it a natural add-on to a caravan or camping holiday in the area. You won't need to drive far from your pitch. It's the kind of place that doesn't shout about itself, which is exactly why you should bother.