Our verdict
The most facility-heavy walk on this list — café, visitor centre, playground and proper toilets — which makes it the easy option with children in tow. Miles of tracks behind all that, and it thins out quickly once you're past the centre.
Dorset's largest country park, some 570 acres of lowland and wet heath, heather grassland and pine and birch woodland at St Leonards. Home to sand lizard, smooth snake, Dartford warbler, woodlark and the silver-studded blue butterfly.
Open access land — you can roam freely on foot.