Forest bathing at Cranham and Buckholt Woods

Buckholt Wood, Cranham Common and the neighbouring woods form the Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods National Nature Reserve, a chain of beechwoods and limestone grassland covering about 325 hectares near Cranham. Buckholt Wood is the heart of it: tall beech with a calm, cathedral-like feel, and more than 780 kinds of fungi recorded. The Cotswold Way runs through the trees.

There is parking at Buckholt Wood and on the southern edge of the woods just outside Cranham village. From there you can wander the woodland paths or follow the 4-mile Cotswold Way circular walk via Cooper's Hill, of cheese-rolling fame. It is rated easy with no stiles, but there are some moderately steep sections. In May Buckholt Wood is thick with bluebells, and autumn brings both leaf colour and fungi. There are no facilities in the woods; the Black Horse Inn in Cranham is the nearest place for refreshments.