Honeyhills Wood

The woodland stretches out proper thick around Honeyhills Wood, just outside Maidstone - the sort of place where you actually lose phone signal and that feels like a win rather than a problem. It's ancient woodland, which means gnarled oaks and the occasional carpet of bluebells if you time it right in spring. There's no visitor centre or tea shop, no branded experience. You just walk in among the trees.

For families with younger kids, it's decent for an hour or so - enough space to let them burn off energy without getting properly lost. Older children and serious walkers will find more to grip onto if they explore the deeper paths. The woodland floor changes throughout the year, which keeps repeat visits interesting rather than samey. Autumn's particularly good when the light filters through properly golden.

There's no entrance fee and no fixed hours that I can find - it's the sort of place you rock up to when it suits you. Allow a couple of hours minimum if you want to do it justice rather than just a quick loop. Wet days make it muddy rather than impassable, so unless it's been weeks of rain, boots are your main concern.

If you're staying at Bearsted Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite just up the road, this works well as a morning walk before heading into Maidstone itself. It's proper woodland rather than manicured parkland, which is exactly what some people want from a forest and what others find a touch too wild. Know which camp you're in before you go.