Troy Wood

A proper woodland walk rather than a manicured visitor attraction, Troy Wood sits near Kirkby on Bain and feels like the sort of place locals know but tourists miss. The forest itself is mixed woodland - oak, ash, birch - with a decent network of paths that loop through without being so marked-up they lose all mystery. You get dappled light, a bit of peace, and the occasional surprise of a clearing where you can actually see sky.

It's best suited to walkers who like a gentle amble rather than anything strenuous. Families with primary-school kids will find enough to keep them occupied for an hour or so - spotting birds, hunting for interesting sticks, that sort of thing. Teenagers will probably get bored unless they're genuinely into woodland ecology. Come in spring for bluebells, though frankly any season bar deep winter when it's all mud and fallen branches works fine.

Allow yourself an hour to ninety minutes depending on which path you take. The woodland isn't vast, so you won't feel lost, but it's big enough that you can actually get away from anything. There's no visitor infrastructure to speak of - no café, no car park signage, no facilities - so come prepared with water and decent shoes. If you're based at Wood Farm Camping nearby, it's an easy detour that justifies an afternoon. Not spectacular, but proper countryside in a part of Lincolnshire that doesn't shout about itself.