Short Plats Plantation

The woodland here stretches across South Yorkshire with proper towering trees and paths that wind through dense forest floor covered in moss and last season's leaves. Short Plats Plantation sits a few miles north of Doncaster, and it's the sort of place that feels a world away from the town itself despite being genuinely close by.

Walking through it, you'll find the kind of quiet that actually matters. No crowds, no gift shops, just trees and the sound of birds. The paths are well-trodden enough to follow but loose enough that it feels like proper woodland rather than a manicured park trail. In autumn the light filters through gold and copper; in spring it's all fresh green growth and bird song.

This suits walkers above anyone else. Families with older kids will manage fine, though there's not much to hold a five-year-old's attention beyond twenty minutes unless they're genuinely into scrambling through undergrowth. History buffs get less here than they would elsewhere in the region - it's forest, not ruins.

No facilities to speak of, which means go prepared. There's no information board or admission fee, just free access to walk. Allow an hour for a decent circuit, longer if you're meandering. It works brilliantly alongside a caravan break at Bawtry (3.9 miles away) or Mooreacres (5.6 miles), both solid parks if you're basing yourself in the area. Hit it on a quiet weekday morning and you'll barely see another soul.