New Park Wood

Walk into New Park Wood and you're immediately struck by how quiet it is. The forest sits just outside Newark, a proper woodland escape that doesn't get rammed with visitors the way some of Nottinghamshire's bigger attractions do. It's a straightforward place - mixed woodland with decent paths that let you actually move through it rather than shuffle along a designated trail.

The appeal here is simple: trees, air, and space to think. Walkers will find it worth an hour or so, depending on how far you fancy going. There's something genuinely restful about being under a canopy when you've been stuck in the Midlands flatlands. The paths are manageable, nothing that requires special kit, though it can get muddy after rain.

Families with younger kids might find it a bit underwhelming on its own - there's no playground, no visitor centre, no ice cream van. But if you're staying at one of the nearby parks - Center Parcs Sherwood Forest is barely a mile away, or The Sherwood Hideaway just under three miles off - New Park Wood works perfectly as a morning wander before heading back for lunch. It's the sort of place you go because it's there, not because you've driven across the country to see it.

Getting practical details is tricky without a proper website, but assume it's free and accessible during daylight. Allow 45 minutes to an hour if you're with kids, longer if you're actually interested in the woodland itself.