Explore countryside and woodland
Get closer to nature and explore hundreds of outdoor places. We've got miles of hillsides and woodland waiting to be discovered.
Haunted forests and scary woods
Cracking twigs, branches catching in your hair and creeping tendrils of mist swirling around your ankles – there’s no doubt that woods can be scary places sometimes. If you're feeling brave, why not venture into the depths of the spookiest forests in our care and uncover historical horrors and spine-chilling legends?
- Blickling Great Wood, Norfolk
- The eeriest route through the woodlands at Blickling winds through the Great Wood to the Mausoleum, built in 1793 to commemorate the 2nd Earl of Buckingham. Blickling was the ancestral home of the Boleyn family, and Anne Boleyn's father, Sir Thomas, is said to haunt the woodlands and grounds. He's supposedly cursed for failing to stop Henry VIII from executing both Anne and her brother. Anne is reported to appear here every 19 May, on the anniversary of her execution.Visit Blickling Great Wood
- Hindhead Commons and the Devil's Punchbowl, Surrey
- A brutal murder took place at Hindhead Commons in 1786. While travelling from London to Portsmouth docks, a sailor was killed by three men he'd befriended in a local pub. Make your way through the woodland and up to the summit of Gibbet Hill, where you can find the stone that marks the spot of his untimely death.Visit Hindhead Commons
- Lydford Gorge, Devon
- Tucked away on the edge of Dartmoor, the ancient wooded Lydford gorge is full of myths and mysteries. Follow the path to Whitelady Waterfall, named for the ghostly figure said to appear nearby. If that's not scary enough, you can imagine you're back in the 16th century when a notorious band of outlaws called the Gubbins were alleged to have made their home here.Visit Lydford Gorge
- Rowallane Garden, County Down
- Step back into a bygone age as you investigate the folklore in the old wood at Rowallane Garden. Local tales have long told how fairies make their homes among the trees and that monsters can be spied here too. Connect with nature in the woods and see if you can spot any evidence of supernatural goings-on.Visit Rowallane Garden
- Wenlock Edge, Shropshire
- Creeping through the gnarled and twisted tree trunks at Wenlock Edge, it’s easy to imagine that you might come across the ghost of Ippikin, a 13th-century highwayman who made his home in the woods. Or maybe you’ll meet Major Smallman, who galloped his horse off the Edge to escape capture during the English Civil War. He survived the 200-foot drop, but his spirit is said to have returned here after he died.Visit Wenlock Edge
- St Mary's Vale, Monmouthshire
- Walk under the woodland canopy of St Mary’s Vale and you'll catch the occasional glimpse of Sugar Loaf and Skirrid mountains looming high above you. The whole place has an air of mystery about it, especially in autumn when the twisted tree trunks emerge out of the mist, and you'll only hear the Nant Iago stream and branches creaking. According to local legend, this is a frequent haunt of Jack O’Kent the giant, so be careful how you go.Visit St Mary's Vale
- Maidenhead Thicket, Berkshire
- During the 17th and 18th centuries, the stretch of the Bath Road that ran through Maidenhead Thicket was notorious for the number of highwaymen who patrolled it. The vegetation allowed them to spring from the shadows, rob unwary travellers and then melt back into the darkness. One such highwayman who operated in the Thicket was Captain James Hind. Among his many famous exploits was a failed robbery of Oliver Cromwell and his seven bodyguards.Visit Maidenhead Thicket
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