Forest bathing at Coed Craig Ruperra

Coed Craig Ruperra is a 153-acre wood on a ridge near the villages of Draethen and Rudry, between Caerphilly, Newport and Cardiff. It belongs to the Ruperra Conservation Trust, a local charity that bought it in 1999. Its native broadleaves were felled in the 1920s and replaced with conifers; since then the Trust has been bringing it back to broadleaved woodland. The Lords Tredegar of Ruperra Castle treated much of the wood as an extension of their gardens, which explains the unusual planting on the southern side.

Parking is in a small car park on the Draethen to Michaelston road, where trail maps are available at the main entrance. Paths range from steep climbs to gentler routes up to the summit, where an Iron Age hillfort and a later motte give wide views. The wood is open all year to walkers and riders. Keep dogs out of the wildlife ponds; professional dog walkers are not permitted.