Winter's Wood

Winter's Wood sits inland from Brockenhurst, a proper forest walk that doesn't require a car journey to the New Forest proper - though you're only a stone's throw from it anyway. The woodland here is thick and dark, the kind of place where you can hear yourself think. It's mostly beech and oak with decent paths threading through, though nothing particularly dramatic or famous-name about it.

This is walker territory, genuinely. You're looking at a quiet morning or afternoon ramble rather than a destination in itself - the sort of spot locals know and tourists miss. Kids might get restless unless they're the type who like hunting for woodland creatures and poking about in undergrowth. There's no facilities, no café, no visitor centre. Just trees and paths.

Allow an hour or two depending on which route you take. It's close enough to Brockenhurst that you could easily combine it with a proper New Forest session if you're basing yourself at The Bay Colwell - that's only six miles away, so a straightforward morning before heading to the coast or deeper into the forest. Winter and early spring are lovely when the place is quieter and the undergrowth is thin enough to actually see where you're stepping.

Free to walk, naturally. No crowds, no nonsense. It's the kind of spot that rewards a return visit once you know your way about.