Homefield Hanger

You get proper woodland here - the sort of place where the trees do all the talking and you're just wandering through, trying not to lose the path. Homefield Hanger is a beech and mixed woodland area near Alton, the kind of spot locals know about but tourists often miss because there's no café or gift shop to mark its existence. Walking through it feels genuine: dappled light, the sound of things rustling about, and enough elevation to make your legs work without it being a full fell march.

It's brilliant for families who want their kids burning energy without needing a destination at the end - the woodland itself is the point. Walkers get something real here rather than a managed nature trail with interpretation boards. There are proper paths to follow, though nothing particularly dramatic happens: no viewpoint, no waterfall, no Saxon burial mound. Just good, quiet woodland within striking distance of Alton.

The beauty of staying at one of the nearby parks - Feather Down Manor Farm is only three miles away, Adhurst Yurts under five - is that Homefield Hanger becomes your morning ramble, the thing you do before breakfast without needing to drive anywhere. It fits perfectly into a park holiday where you're basing yourself locally rather than road-tripping around. Autumn's the season to come: the beech canopy turns properly spectacular and the floor's thick with leaf fall. Allow a couple of hours if you're not rushing, less if you just want a constitutional walk. Free access, naturally - it's a wood, not a theme park.