If you go down to the woods today, you needn’t get a big surprise, because if you visit the National Forest being developed in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire there’s an Educational Visits Guide to help you plan. It covers 45 locations. Some facilities come equipped with the entire back-up apparatus of nature trails and ranger guides. Teachers can usually make free pre-visits to these, and find out about everything from industrial archaeology to producing your own wattle-and-daub. Others are just pieces of woodland, with the unspoilable pleasures of spotting rare butterflies and smelling the wild flowers. Call The National Forest Company for a copy of the guide.

Tel: 01283 551211 www.nationalforest.org