Glimpse fallow deer and their young amid mature oak and beech woods where beautiful wild flowers and butterflies flourish. The 5,000-acre estate on the Chiltern ridge is also home to the gnarled, centuries-old Frithsden Beeches that starred in the Harry Potter films (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ashridge-estate).

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Spot wildlife at Ashridge Estate
How to identify Britain's trees
Take a woodland walk
Find somewhere to stay in the Southeast

Remarkable trees are to be found all over this mountain-fringed country park, where landscaped woodlands offer a changing seasonal palette. The Victorian arboretum has some of Ireland’s tallest and oldest specimens, plus rare trees from Japan, China and Australia (www.discovernorthernireland.com).

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Gorgeous gardens to visit in Northern Ireland
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Take a woodland walk

The dense woods overhanging the muddy shores of the Cleddau Estuary provide natural hides from which to spot wading birds and otters, whose cries and splashes break an almost eerie silence. Walk through majestic ancient oaks from Lawrenny Quay to Cresswell Quay, leaving time to visit the Quayside Lawrenny Tearoom. Local fishermen supply the lobsters, spider crabs and home-smoked mackerel that make the menu as special as the views. Have a pitcher of Pimm’s brought to your table outside and watch sailboats drifting along Pembrokeshire’s tranquil secret waterway.

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Explore the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
How to identify Britain's trees
Take a woodland walk

Climb up steep wooded slopes lined with wild flowers to find telescopes pointing towards Bassenthwaite Lake, where a pair of ospreys nests each summer. The colourful woodland gardens across the road at Mirehouse lead to the lake shore (www.forestry.gov.uk).

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Escape to the Eden Valley
How to identify Britain's trees
Take a woodland walk

Home to some of the oldest trees in Scotland, this ancient royal hunting forest in the heart of The Trossachs has inspired artists and poets including John Millais and Walter Scott. Take a short woodland climb for glorious views over Loch Venachar, or embark on the Mell Circuit (www.woodland trust.org.uk/glenfinglas).

A walk to take: Mell Circuit, Stirlingshire
From the shores of the Glen Finglas reservoir, this 17-mile route passes through romantic woods and beside ferny waterfalls before emerging onto bleaker, steeper mountain paths. Though possible to do it on a mountain bike, walkers have the great advantage of being able to savour the glen views for longer on the descent (www.walkhighlands.co.uk).

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How to identify Britain's trees
Take a woodland walk
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Look out for salmon leaping up the beck and sunbathing adders in this mixed coniferous and broadleaf woodland covering 2,000 hectares of the Durham Dales. Waymarked routes range from gentle riverside ambles to white-knuckle mountain-bike trails (www.forestry.gov.uk).

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Escape to the Durham Dales
How to identify Britain's trees
Take a woodland walk

Coppiced plots of hazel and maple have been managed here for centuries, scattering their leaves lightly across the woodland floor and allowing wild orchids to flourish. The grassy glades make heavenly picnic spots: lie on your back and listen to the birdsong (www.wildlifebcn.org).

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How to identify Britain's trees
Take a woodland walk
Find somewhere to stay in the Southeast 

The massed contorted limbs of the venerable yews gathered at the base of this steep-edged coombe in the South Downs are a wonderful natural spectacle, A nuthatch at Wade Wood with the oldest trees dating back 500 years. Orchids and butterflies can be found on the chalky slopes, too (www.naturalengland.org.uk).

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Escape to the Arun Valley
Explore the South Downs National Park
Find somewhere to stay in the Southeast

A peat-coloured brook gushes over mossy gritstone boulders at the bottom of this deep and narrow valley, whose sides are cloaked with aged oaks and birches twisted into fairy-tale shapes. Stay the night at Hathersage to explore the nearby Hope Valley. The George Hotel, is a Peak District literary landmark, thanks to its role in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. This 500-year- old coaching inn is now a smart and friendly small hotel with a fine dining restaurant. Double B&B from £115 (01433 650436; george-hotel.net).

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Take a walk in the Peak District
How to identify Britain's trees
Enjoy a woodland walk

Stay in a rustic farmhouse in Derbyshire

The inclines of the Luddenden Valley near Hebden Bridge are swathed in ancient woodland that shelters woodpeckers, nuthatches and deer. A path running from Jerusalem Farm (www.calderdale.gov.uk) crosses a stone packhorse bridge and climbs through trees towards the lofty village of Saltonstall and expansive Pennine views.

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A night and day in Hebden Bridge
Explore the Yorkshire Dales National Park
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