Rushford Wood

The forest sits inland from Bexhill-on-Sea, a proper working woodland rather than a manicured nature reserve. You won't find a visitor centre or marked trails - it's the sort of place you push into on foot and make your own way through, which is either brilliant or frustrating depending on your mood.

What you get is old-growth woodland with decent paths running through beech and oak. The canopy's thick enough that even on a baking summer day it stays cool and damp underfoot. Walkers will get the most from this - it's not dramatic scenery, but it's honest woodland, the kind you'd find across the Weald before it all got tidied up.

There's no real 'attraction' here in the theme-park sense. No playground, no café, no admission fee as far as anyone can tell. You just turn up and walk. That makes it ideal if you're camping at Normans Bay just up the road and fancy stretching your legs away from the caravan site. An hour or two is enough to properly explore the main paths without getting lost.

The catch is it can feel a bit gloomy and claustrophobic if you're not in the mood for woods. It's not the sort of place that'll wow the kids for long - they'll want something with more structure. But if you're after a quiet woodland walk within striking distance of the coast, without the crowds you'd hit at the bigger forest parks, it's well worth the short drive from Bexhill.