Forest bathing at Healey Dell Nature Reserve

Healey Dell is a wooded valley about two miles from Rochdale town centre, where the River Spodden has cut down through the rock over thousands of years. Its waterfalls once drove corn, wool and cotton mills, and the remains are still among the trees, so the reserve mixes woodland with industrial history. A disused railway line runs along the top of the dell and crosses a 100 foot viaduct.

Park at the reserve on Dell Road, where there are tea rooms and a small heritage exhibition. The nature trail follows the old railway line, which is level and easy; paths down into the dell by the river are steeper, narrower and wetter, and that is where the quiet is. After rain the waterfalls are at their fullest, and in summer the trees close over the gorge. The park is open every day and entry is free.