Walkies Our picks for bounds with your hound

THE days are getting longer, the sun is out and the ground is drying out nicely - spring is sprung, summer is appearing more possible every day, and for all the dogs of Bristol who have been going stir crazy through the dark winter, now is the time to get out and explore.

- Tristan CORK

But if you and your hound are a bit bored of the same routine walk around the nearest park, or your usual trip to the nearest or favourite spot outside the city, then there are dozens of great woods and forests just a short trip outside the south of Bristol, each with their own distinct sense of place, history and quirky uniqueness.

It's been a painstaking mission to research them all, but these are the best seven all within striking distance of Bristol.

>> East Harptree

A picture-perfect conifer woodland that is small enough to be manageable in one go, but big enough and quiet enough to feel like you are completely alone with the trees. It's managed by Forestry England and can be found up the hill above the village of East Harptree. There's a fairly big car park off the road and a level paved track from the car park into the woods. There are a couple of circular tracks that aren't too wild and muddy, but it's perfectly possible to strike out and get lost in the trees that could be straight out of a fairytale.

The centrepiece of the wood is the Smitham Chimney a timely reminder that the rural West Country has a long history of industry.

This relic of Mendip's industrial past is a Cornish-style chimney that served the lead works there and survived when the site closed in 1875. It was saved almost 100 years later by the Mendip Society.

In front of the chimney is a large pond that's teeming with wildlife, and surrounded by signs advising that dogs aren't allowed to go for a swim. Unfortunately my dog can't read and jumped straight in which wasn't the best idea because she came out looking like the creature from the bog.

>> Greyfield Wood