Forests & Woods To Explore

A walk in the woods lifts the spirit as well as stretching the legs. Woods you can visit vary in size from hundreds of hectares down to just a few and from sophisticated woodland parks with many visitor facilities through to those with no special provision apart from a welcome for you to walk.

Some of the woods are publicly owned, others belong to charities like the Woodland Trust, National Trust or Wildlife Trusts; others are privately owned. Not all woods are open to the public.

When you visit a wood, please follow the Country Code; be safety conscious and keep clear of areas of forestry working.

If you fancy a stroll in the woods, these websites will give you a few ideas of where to go:

The main Forestry Commission holdings and visitors centres are on their site and are marked on modern Ordnance Survey maps.
The many Woodland Trust properties can be searched on their website.
The Woodland Trust is starting regional gazetteers of other Woods to Visit.

Each May, the Tree Council - which the RFS helped set up - organises "A Walk in the Woods" - and runs National Tree Week every November.
English Nature lists some national woodland nature reserves you can visit.

The Royal Forestry Society has woods in the Chilterns, the National Forest and mid-Wales.

County Councils and Wildlife Trusts often publish lists of woods open to the public.

Details of forests to visit in Northern Ireland are on the Forest Service website.
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