Streetfield Wood

Streetfield Wood is a proper woodland walk just outside Battle in Sussex, the sort of place you stumble upon rather than plan for. It's genuinely quiet - ancient trees, decent paths, and that particular smell of damp earth that makes you remember why you came to Sussex in the first place.

The wood itself isn't massive, but it rewards a slow pace. You get mixed woodland - oak, beech, the odd stretch where it opens up and feels almost like parkland. The paths are well-trodden enough that you won't get lost, but overgrown enough that it doesn't feel manicured to death. Spring is cracking when the bluebells come through, though autumn's equally good if you want less mud.

Walkers will get more out of this than families with small children, simply because there's not much to do once you've had a wander - no play equipment, no cafe, no gift shop. That's rather the point. Allow 45 minutes to an hour if you're moving at a regular pace, longer if you're the sort who stops to look at birds.

Since you're staying at Seven Acre Woods or one of the other parks dotted nearby, this makes a decent half-morning detour before heading into Battle itself. It's free, clearly, and the car park (if one exists) is barely mentioned anywhere - typical of proper local woods. Go on a weekday if you can. Weekends draw more folk, which rather diminishes the whole appeal of being in a wood in the first place.