A track through Swinley Forest, Berkshire

Where to go · Berkshire

Forest bathing at Swinley Forest

Over 2,600 acres of Scots pine and lowland heath near Bracknell, with quiet walking well away from the bike trails.

Swinley Forest, south of Bracknell, covers more than 2,600 acres of gently rolling woodland owned by the Crown Estate. It was once part of Windsor Forest, and today it is mostly a planted forest of Scots pine, with patches of nationally rare lowland heath that form part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area. Caesar's Camp, an Iron Age hill fort, lies alongside it.

Swinley is best known for mountain biking, with waymarked green, blue and red trails, but walking is free and the forest is big enough to leave the bikes behind. Start from The Look Out Discovery Centre on Nine Mile Ride, which has the main car park and Woodlarks Café by the adventure play area. Paths run through the pinewoods and across the open heath. Keep an ear out for bikes where tracks are shared, and step off onto the quieter footpaths when you want to stop.

Practical

Managed by
The Crown Estate (car park and Look Out run by Bracknell Forest Council)
Parking
Pay car park at The Look Out (first 10 minutes free); Blue Badge holders free
Terrain
Forest tracks and rides through pine and heath, shared with cyclists in places
Facilities
The Look Out Discovery Centre, Woodlarks Café (takeaway), bike hire
Opening and entry
Free entry; Look Out car park open daily from early morning to evening
Official page
bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Last updated 4 November 2026. Paths, parking and access can change, so check before you visit. Spotted something out of date? Please let us know.

Guides nearby

A guide within 15 miles of Swinley Forest

  • Susanne Meis

    Meet in Nature

    South London, London

    UnclaimedTrained by The Forest Bathing Institute

    Corporate and team daysPrivate and one-to-one

    Price on enquiry15 miles away

    View profile: Susanne Meis

More woodlands in Berkshire

All venues in Berkshire
The woodland walk at Basildon Park, BerkshireBasildon ParkHistoric parkland near Pangbourne with old oaks, sweet chestnuts and woodland walksBluebells in Bisham Woods near Maidenhead, BerkshireBisham WoodsAncient broadleaved woods above the Thames near Marlow, with spring bluebells and primrosesLongmoor Lake with trees around it in California Country Park, BerkshireCalifornia Country ParkWoodland, heath and an ancient bog around Longmoor Lake, with a surfaced lakeside path

Photos: Basildon Park, Oscar Taylor (CC BY-SA 2.0); Bisham Woods, Timo Newton-Syms from Helsinki, Finland & Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK (CC BY-SA 2.0); California Country Park, Steve Daniels (CC BY-SA 2.0).