Old Court Wood

The woodland around Old Court Wood, just outside Canterbury, is the sort of place you'd stumble upon by accident and then return to deliberately. It's proper forest - the kind with decent tree cover, woodland floor that's thick with leaf litter, and enough quiet to actually hear birdsong instead of the A28.

Walkers get the most from it. There are tracks threading through, nothing too demanding, but enough to feel like you've properly left town behind. You'll see oak, beech, and the occasional clearing where light floods through. It's ideal if you're based at one of the nearby camping spots - Turners Folly Field is only three miles away, or Fallow Fields at Selson Farm if you're happy to stay near Sandwich. A couple of hours here breaks up a park stay without requiring much planning.

Bringing young kids? They'll be entertained by the woods themselves - fallen logs to balance on, sticks to collect - but don't expect facilities or waymarked trails that hold their hand. Go in autumn when the colours are doing something interesting, or spring when the undergrowth isn't quite so dense.

No admission charge as far as I can tell, and the nearest town (Canterbury) means you're never far from a decent cup of tea if the weather turns. The woodland isn't going to be the highlight of your holiday, but it's exactly the kind of proper, unadorned place that makes you remember why you went camping in the first place.