Rooksgrove Copse

The woodland floor at Rooksgrove Copse is thick with moss and last year's leaves - the kind of walk that feels properly secluded even though you're only a few miles from Alresford. This is genuine Hampshire forest, the sort of place where the trees actually make you feel small.

It's a straightforward woodland walk through mixed broadleaf and conifer, nothing extreme, nothing requiring specialist gear. The paths are manageable underfoot most of the year, though winter can turn things boggy. You won't get Instagram moments here - no dramatic vistas, no rare birds perched obligingly on a branch - but that's rather the point. It's the kind of place where you can actually hear yourself think between the birdsong.

Families with younger kids might find it a bit samey after half an hour, but teenagers and serious walkers will appreciate the proper woodland atmosphere. Dog owners should love it. The whole thing works best on a damp autumn morning when the light filters through properly and the place feels genuinely wild.

Allow a couple of hours if you're taking it at an easy pace. It's free and there are no opening hours to worry about - you just go. If you're camping at Woodlands Camping or Hampshire Hills nearby, it's a legitimate excuse to get out of the tent for the morning. Not a destination in itself, but a cracking addition to a walking holiday in the area. Winter and autumn are better than summer when the midges come out.