Hazelton Wood

Walking into Hazelton Wood near Braintree feels like stepping properly away from the everyday, even though you're barely out of town. It's the kind of Essex woodland that surprises people - dense enough to feel remote, but accessible enough that you won't need hiking boots and a map.

The wood itself is a working forest with a decent network of paths threading through mixed woodland. You get beech, oak, and conifer planted side by side, which makes for varied walking depending on which route you take. Some sections are open and airy, others more enclosed. On a grey day it feels atmospheric; in spring the light filters through fresh leaves rather nicely. Most visitors spend anything from 45 minutes to two hours here, depending on pace and whether you're letting the kids disappear into every side path.

It works well if you're camping at Stocks Farm - barely three miles away - or Golden Grove, just up the road. Neither are particularly long drives, so you can slot this in as a morning walk without it eating your whole day. Families with youngsters will get on fine here; it's not challenging terrain and there's room to let them run about. Walkers after something more strenuous might find it a bit tame, though the paths are genuine and well-maintained.

Free to access, naturally. Go on a weekday if you can - weekends bring more traffic and the paths get a bit busy for what is, essentially, a local wood. Best in autumn when the colour's coming through, though winter walking here is equally pleasant if the ground isn't waterlogged.