Forest bathing at Eglinton Country Park

Eglinton Country Park covers 400 hectares between Kilwinning and Irvine, on land that was once the Eglinton Estate, home of the Montgomerie family. At its centre stand the ruins of Eglinton Castle, a castellated mansion completed in 1802 for the 12th Earl of Eglinton. About 140 hectares of the park is woodland, and three waymarked routes of roughly two to four miles lead from the central area out to Corsehill and Sourlie.

Paths range from flat and surfaced to some steeper dirt sections, and the whole network is traffic-free, so it suits an easy first walk. The visitor centre has local history displays, park maps and a café, and the countryside rangers lead guided walks through the year. The middle of the park, around the castle, visitor centre and loch, is where most people gather; for longer, slower walks follow the routes out through the woods towards Corsehill and Sourlie.