Forest bathing at Hainault Forest

Hainault Forest is about 167 hectares of mainly ancient wood pasture of oak and hornbeam, on the north-east edge of London. It was part of the royal hunting forests from the 11th century. In 1851 public pressure saved it from being felled, and it was bought for the nation in 1903 and opened as a country park in 1906. Today the Woodland Trust looks after one part and Redbridge Council the rest, and the big old trees of the wood pasture give it a different feel from London's smaller, denser woods.

The Forest Centre on Fox Burrow Road, with the farm and cafés, is where most people arrive, and it can be busy at weekends. For a quieter start, the Woodland Trust's free car parks off Lambourne Road and Manor Road bring you straight into the trees. Surfaced paths are flat or gently sloping but can puddle; the unsurfaced paths get very muddy, so wear boots for most of the year. In spring there are good displays of bluebells under the hornbeams.