24 hours in Northaw: a woodland adventure

Northaw is barely a mile from the M25, yet stand on its green and you could be deep in the countryside. Here is how to spend a perfect day.

Morning: into the wood

Park on The Ridgeway and walk the waymarked trails of Northaw Great Wood. Follow the Cuffley Brook loop past ancient hornbeams and through bracken glades.

Late morning: a sky full of history

Drive or stroll to East Ridgeway to see the Leefe Robinson memorial, where the airship SL11 fell in 1916.

Lunch: Tudor ale

Back in the village, settle by the fire at the Two Brewers, said to date from 1572.

Afternoon: the ridge

Explore St Thomas à Becket and its medieval font, wander the village green, then read up on a thousand years of Northaw.

Evening: dinner on the green

Book a table at Judges, then retire to a country-house hotel beyond the wood. Find somewhere to stay.