Rookhams Copse

The woodland around Rookhams Copse, just outside Bridport, is proper walking territory - dense enough to feel like you've properly left the seaside behind, but close enough to reach in ten minutes from town. It's a mixed forest, the kind where you actually spot things: birds darting between oak and beech, the occasional deer if you're quiet enough, and paths that fork off in ways that make you actually pay attention to where you're going.

This is a walker's spot more than a destination in itself. You won't find a visitor centre or a car park with a gift shop - it's the real thing. The forest floor is soft underfoot, muddy after rain, and the canopy does serious work keeping things cool on warm days. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for a decent loop if you're not in a rush, longer if you're the type who stops to identify trees.

Families with young kids will get a kick out of it - there's enough space to run about without getting lost, and the undergrowth has that slightly wild feeling children seem to enjoy. Serious walkers will appreciate that it's a proper woodland rather than a park with trees.

Stay at Dorset Valley Glamping or Freshwater Beach just down the road, and Rookhams works as a morning excursion before hitting the coast or heading to West Bay. It's free access - no nonsense about it. Go early to avoid other walkers if solitude matters to you.