Lopham's Wood

The woodland walk at Lopham's Wood, just outside Newmarket, is the sort of place you find by accident and then keep going back to. It's proper woodland - the kind with decent paths, dappled light filtering through mature trees, and enough space to actually hear yourself think. The forest floor's thick with moss and leaf litter, and there are genuinely interesting corners to explore rather than the manicured feel you get at some country estates.

This works well for families with kids old enough to manage uneven terrain - there's something about finding sticks and investigating fallen logs that keeps them occupied for hours. Walkers who want a straightforward ramble without too much navigation will appreciate it too. Allow a couple of hours if you're taking it slowly; you can cover it faster if you're just after a quick leg-stretch.

The real value here is how it slots into a wider park holiday. You're minutes from Piggles Retreat if you're based there, but also well-positioned for exploring the Newmarket area itself. It's the kind of spot you'd visit on a morning, knock off a two-mile loop, then head into town for lunch. Not the sort of destination you'd drive hours for on its own, but genuinely worth knowing about if you're in the region. Best visited when dry - it can get boggy after rain, and those moss-covered roots are slippery.