Hatfield Forest is the best surviving example in Britain of an almost complete medieval royal hunting forest, a National Nature Reserve where coppicing, pollarding and grazing have continued for close to 1,000 years. Veteran hornbeams, oaks and maples shelter more than 3,500 species, fallow and muntjac deer roam the coppices, and in May and June the plains turn gold with buttercups. At the centre is the 18th-century lake that Jacob Houblon had Capability Brown lay out, with an outdoor-only cafe and the 1750s Shell House, its shell decorations designed by 15-year-old Laetitia Houblon. Dogs are welcome across the forest, on a lead near the cattle. Reviewers say children run free here and the lakeside ducks expect to be fed. Tips from regulars: the boardwalk is slippery when wet, ice cream queues can top half an hour on hot days, non-members pay to park, and in winter parking is limited to the hard-standing car park, which closes once full.
