Penland Wood

A proper woodland walk inland from Bexhill-on-Sea, Penland Wood is the sort of place you stumble upon rather than plan for. The trees are dense enough to feel genuinely remote even though you're minutes from the coast - oak and beech mostly, with a floor thick enough to muffle your footsteps. There's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of, which is either a blessing or a drawback depending on what you're after.

It's ideal for walkers wanting something low-key without the seaside bustle. Families with young kids will manage fine if the paths aren't too muddy - though after rain they can be genuine bogs in places. History types won't find much to latch onto here; this is about the woodland experience rather than any particular story. A decent detour if you're cycling through the Pevensey Levels or base camping at Normans Bay, but don't carve out a special trip unless you're genuinely keen on forest air and quiet.

Allow two to three hours to do it properly, less if you're just taking a loop. Go on a drier day - the tracks can be heavy underfoot when wet. Spring's when it's most worth visiting, when there's life underfoot and the canopy hasn't completely closed in. Summer brings the heat and flies; winter's muddy but moody. Admission appears to be free, though there's virtually nothing here so expectations need calibrating accordingly. It's a working wood rather than a managed attraction.