Slapestones Wood

Walking into Slapestones Wood from Northallerton is like stepping back about fifty years - it's proper woodland as it should be, with proper trees doing proper tree things rather than some managed tourist experience. The place is a patchwork of deciduous woodland that follows a stream valley, so you get varied terrain and the sound of water running alongside the paths, which beats birdsong in my book.

What you're doing here is wandering. There's no visitor centre, no interpretation boards, no café (bring a flask). Just woodland paths that range from easy meanders to slightly boggy stretches depending on rainfall. The stream itself is the real draw - it cuts through the wood creating decent little ravine sections with moss-covered banks and occasional pools. If you've got kids who like turning over rocks and spotting salamanders, they'll be absorbed for a couple of hours. Adults after a decent walk will find enough texture here to make it worthwhile, though it's not dramatic - no waterfalls, no vistas opening up suddenly.

Allow two to three hours to properly explore without rushing. It's free access, dawn to dusk. Best in spring when the woodland floor is textured with bluebells and wild garlic, or autumn when the light filters properly through the canopy.

For a wider park holiday, you're well placed with Whorlton Pods just 2.9 miles away or Cote Ghyll further out. Slapestones fits perfectly as a morning wander before heading elsewhere in the area - it's the kind of unpolished, genuine woodland walk that reminds you why you came to North Yorkshire in the first place.