Forest bathing at Vogrie Country Park

Vogrie is a Victorian estate south-east of Dalkeith that became Scotland's second country park in 1982. Vogrie House was built in 1876 by the Dewar family, and the woods around it mix exotic trees from that era, including western red cedar and sequoia, with native oak, ash, rowan and alder. More than 50 kinds of bird use the woodland, and wood anemones come out in spring.

There are 11.5 miles of signed paths. The short, level trails near the car park and house are the easy option and the busiest, with the café, playground and golf course nearby. For quiet, take the steeper paths down into the valley of the Tyne Water, where the river paths and viewpoints see far fewer people. The park is gated with seasonal opening hours and closes in very high winds, so check before a stormy-day visit. Paths are a mix of surfaced and earth, muddy in the valley after rain.