Autumn has set in, and the weather is growing wilder.

To enjoy the season at its raw and rousing best, you need a landscape to suit: a pristine wilderness where you can walk for hours without a trace of civilisation.

Our islands are well stocked with stirring clifftops, rolling uplands and virgin woodland, some of it cheek by jowl with big cities and sprawling commuter towns.

To prove it, here are some of the finest wild landscapes that Britain and Ireland have to offer. Okay, some may not meet the pedant’s definition of wilderness, but it’s the spirit, rather than the letter, that counts. These are places that feel untouched, allowing you to stretch your legs and flirt, if only for an afternoon, with the rougher edges of the world.

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Epping Forest, London

There has been a forest south of Epping since at least neolithic times; but the irony is that at the start of the 21st century, London’s largest green space is less heavily managed than at any time since the Anglo-Saxon era. The evidence is everywhere: footpaths that are becoming impassable with fallen logs and saplings; impenetrable infestations of holly; a decline in the numbers of glade-loving birds such as the redstart and nightjar.

That’s not to say that the City of London (which owns the forest) has abandoned it — foresters are working there all the time. But there are only 12 full-timers in the department.

The effect is extraordinary. The forest covers 6,000 acres and, despite the neglect, offers an unexpected diversity of landscapes. The most attractive are to be found in its northern half, between Buckhurst Hill and Epping, which includes stretches of gracious beech woodland, broad knotty oaks and rough-edged fields strewn (at this time of year) with leaves. Hardly anyone goes there — once the sound of the nearest road has receded, you won’t believe you’re still within reach of the Tube.

Walk into the forest from Chingford railway station, 25 minutes from Liverpool Street, or Loughton Tube, on the Central line.

Where to stay: Packfords Hotel, near Woodford Green (020 8504 2642, packfordshotel.co.uk) has doubles from £95, B&B.

Dungeness, Kent

Dungeness is one of the largest shingle banks in the world, backed by one of Britain’s biggest marshes. Yes, yes, there’s a power station, but its louring presence has kept the place free of overdevelopment. If you’ve had your fill of seafront hotels and retirement bungalows, this is the place to go.

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