Puckmoor Wood

Walk into Puckmoor Wood and you're immediately swallowed by old growth - the kind of place where the canopy is so thick it feels like dusk at noon. This is proper Mid Wales woodland, the sort that makes you forget Hereford is only a few miles away. The tracks wind through dense broadleaf forest, mostly accessible underfoot if you're sensible with footwear, though it gets muddy after rain like everywhere does in Powys.

It's the kind of spot walkers come for on a half-day outing rather than a destination on its own. You can lose an hour here, maybe two if you're pottering about, but it's not a full-day affair. Families with younger kids might find it a bit samey - trees look like trees - but if your lot enjoys scrambling over logs and hunting for wildlife, they'll get something out of it. Serious ornithologists and woodland photographers do better here than casual strollers.

No facilities that I'm aware of, so bring water. The forest is free to access as far as I can tell, which makes it an easy add-on to a holiday at one of the local glamping spots like Heart of the Wye or By the Wye, both within striking distance. Pair it with a walk along the Wye Valley itself and you've got a proper morning sorted. Go early if you want any quiet - it's the sort of wood locals pop into rather than tourists, which is exactly why it works.