Hell Corner

The name alone will raise a few eyebrows, but Hell Corner is actually rather pleasant - a woodland pocket in Northamptonshire that sits just outside Stamford, the handsome market town everyone raves about. The forest itself isn't massive, but it's proper handy for a decent walk if you're based nearby, particularly at Castle Farm Campsite which is only five miles away.

Walkers will get the most from this. It's the sort of place where you can spend a couple of hours working your way through the trees, with enough cover to make a rainy day manageable. The woodland floor is reasonably varied - some boggy bits, patches of undergrowth - which keeps things interesting rather than just being a straight trudge on a marked path.

The main draw here is that it's close to Stamford itself, so if you're doing a park holiday in the area and fancy a proper stretch of the legs without driving an hour to reach somewhere, this fits the bill. It's not going to blow your mind, but it's free to access and requires minimal planning. Worth a visit as part of a wider exploration of the area rather than a destination in its own right.

Kids might manage a forty-minute circuit before getting restless, depending on their age and tolerance for mud. Bring wellies in winter - the ground gets boggy and proper squelchy.