Our writers find enchanting and secluded places to stay in the forests of England, Scotland and Wales

There are days when a walk in the woods is the best option. This includes days when the cloud ceiling is barely above chest height and there is a rowdy wind driving the rain in your face. I am striding fast up Sandpit Lane near the hamlet of Thimbleby on the west side of the North York Moors. Charms of goldfinches, oblivious to the weather, are bouncing along the hedgerow. The land rises up and I reach the trees.