Shrub Wood

A proper woodland walk just outside Hitchin, Shrub Wood is the sort of place locals know and visitors often miss. The forest floor is thick with leaf litter, the canopy dense enough to make you forget you're barely five miles from town. It's not dramatic or vast - maybe an hour will see you round the main paths - but it's genuinely peaceful, which counts for something in Hertfordshire.

Walkers will get the most from it. The terrain is easy enough for families with older kids, though younger ones might find the lack of facilities a bit frustrating after thirty minutes or so. There's woodland to explore, birdsong, and on a decent day the dappled light through the trees feels like a proper tonic. No dramatic vistas, no heritage plaques, just trees doing what trees do.

It's free to visit, as far as anyone can tell - there's no entrance fee or obvious visitor centre. Go early if you want the place to yourself, which you probably will. The parking situation isn't clear from here, so check locally in Hitchin before you head out.

For a caravan holiday at either Jacks Hill Caravans or Henlow Bridge Lakes, this makes a decent morning outing. Don't expect a day's entertainment - think of it as a reset between other activities rather than a destination in itself. It's the kind of wood that's better on a crisp autumn day than in summer, when the midges can be bothersome.