River Dart Country Park

The River Dart winds through thick woodland just outside South Brent, and this country park sits right along that stretch - it's proper Devon countryside without the pretence. You get woodland walks that actually feel like walks, not five-minute meanders round a car park. The river itself is the real draw: you can follow it for miles if you're keen, and the water's clean enough that spotting brown trout becomes genuinely absorbing.

Historically minded visitors will find their feet here. The Dart's been important to this corner of Devon for centuries - mills used to work the water, and remnants of that industrial past still dot the valley. It's the sort of place where history isn't explained on boards but revealed through actually looking at the landscape.

Families with school-age kids do well provided they can walk a reasonable distance. Younger children might tire of "just trees and water" after an hour or two, but proper walkers will spend half a day exploring without noticing the time slip. There's a genuine sense of escape about the place - no theme park energy, just riverside rambling.

If you're staying at Ashbourne Woods, about five miles away, this makes a solid half-day outing. Better to come mid-week when South Brent isn't rammed with weekenders. Spring and autumn are nicest - summer brings midges to the riverside patches, and winter mud can be grim. No facilities worth mentioning, so bring what you need.