Forest bathing at Dalkeith Country Park

Dalkeith Country Park is a 1,000-acre estate on the edge of Dalkeith, where the North and South Esk rivers wind through woodland below Dalkeith Palace. Its great treasure is the Old Wood: a Woodland Trust survey recorded just over 500 trees here, nearly all pedunculate oaks, of which 100 are ancient and 300 veteran. The largest, known as The Michael, may be up to 1,000 years old and measures over ten metres round.

The waymarked Old Wood trail, about 2.4 kilometres, takes in many of the big oaks and is the obvious walk for slow time among old trees. Riverside paths along the Esks are quieter than the area around the Restoration Yard, play area and Go Ape, which draw the crowds at weekends. Winter is a good time to see the shapes of the old oaks clearly. Expect woodland tracks with some ups and downs; parts can be muddy.