Forest bathing at Queen’s Wood

Queen's Wood is 52 acres of ancient oak and hornbeam woodland in Highgate, with occasional beech, cherry, field maple, hazel, holly and scattered wild service trees. It was once called Churchyard Bottom Wood. Hornsey council bought it in 1898, opened it to the public and renamed it after Queen Victoria, and it became a local nature reserve in 1990. It sits right beside Highgate Wood but has been managed far less intensively, which is a good part of its appeal: it feels rougher and more tangled, and the Moselle stream rises here.

Highgate station is a few minutes' walk away, and the café near the entrance is an easy place to start or finish. In spring the ground flora is unusually rich for London, with wood anemone, bluebells, wood goldilocks and wood sorrel. Listen for woodpeckers; all three British species have been recorded. The main paths are wide, but the wood is not fully accessible, so take care after rain. Unlike its neighbour it is open around the clock, which makes it a good choice for an early start.