Forest bathing at Blickling Estate

The Blickling estate, just outside Aylsham, covers about 4,600 acres, including some 950 acres of woodland and parkland and around 1,000 veteran trees. The Great Wood has ancient small-leaved limes among its beech, oak, lime and sweet chestnut, and bluebells cover the ground from mid-April to early May. On the edge of the old woodland stands the Mausoleum, a pyramid of Portland stone, and below the house lies the lake, made in 1729.

There are four car parks. Woodgate is handy for the Great Wood but gets busy in bluebell season, so arrive early then. The Mausoleum walk, under two miles, goes through woods and open land, and the Blickling, Calthorpe and Great Wood walk is a longer 7.5-mile circuit. For level going, the 4-mile multi-use trail has an all-weather surface suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. In autumn look for fungi in the Great Wood. Sheep and cattle graze parts of the park, and the lake has had blue-green algae, so keep dogs out of the water.