Upper Swingley Wood Nature Reserve

Walk into Upper Swingley Wood and you're immediately under a proper canopy of old trees - oak, ash, and beech mostly - with the ground soft underfoot and the kind of quiet you don't get near towns. It's a genuine woodland reserve just outside Tenbury Wells, the sort of place where you might actually spot something - woodpeckers, nuthatches, the odd deer if you're lucky and moving quietly. The woodland floor is carpeted with bluebells in spring, which makes the effort worthwhile if you're timing a visit around May.

There's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of, but that's rather the point. You get a woodland walk without the crowds or the ice cream vans. Allow 45 minutes to an hour if you're moving at a reasonable pace, longer if you're stopping to listen and look properly. The paths are fairly easy going, though muddy after rain - wellies are sensible kit.

For families with younger children, it's decent enough but won't grip them for hours. Anyone who actually enjoys woodland - proper walkers, birdwatchers, people after some peace - will get real value from it. It works well as a morning activity if you're staying at one of the local caravan parks like Orchard Holiday Park or Fairview just down the road in Tenbury Wells. Combine it with a pub lunch in town and you've got a solid day. Free to visit, as it should be, and open whenever you can get there.