Howe Wood

You won't find signposts or visitor centres at Howe Wood - it's simply a proper woodland walk a few miles from Thame, the kind of place locals know about and tourists usually miss. The forest is dense enough to feel like you've genuinely left the Oxfordshire market towns behind, with decent paths threading through beech and oak that open up into clearings where you can actually breathe.

Walkers will get the most from this. There's nothing flashy - no adventure playground, no café, no Instagram moment waiting for you - just woodland as it should be. The paths are manageable for families with older kids, though very small ones might find the distance tedious. Allow two hours if you're dawdling, an hour if you know what you're doing. Spring is lovely when the bluebells come through, but honestly, it's worth visiting whenever you've got a spare afternoon.

It's the sort of place that works brilliantly alongside a park holiday at Lashlake Barn, which sits only five miles away. After a few days of caravan site facilities and scheduled activities, Howe Wood reminds you why you came to the Oxfordshire countryside in the first place - quiet woodland, birdsong, and space to think. No entrance fee as far as anyone can tell, which is refreshingly straightforward. Parking is unofficial but simple enough if you know where to look.