Forest bathing at Leigh Woods

Leigh Woods sits on the North Somerset side of the Avon Gorge, just across the Clifton Suspension Bridge from Bristol. It is a National Nature Reserve, cared for by the National Trust and Forestry England, with high forest, coppice and an arboretum. Look out for veteran oak pollards and the Bristol whitebeam, which grows nowhere else. The Iron Age hillfort of Stokeleigh Camp stands at the gorge edge.

The Forestry England car park at the main entrance is the usual starting point, with a coffee stall at weekends and in school holidays. The National Trust's veteran tree walk and woodland wander are both about a mile and mostly fairly level, and the wander takes you past Stokeleigh Camp with views down the gorge. There is also an easy access trail. Mountain bikers use parts of the wood, so the quieter walking is on the footpaths away from the bike trail. Paths down to the river are steep and muddy in wet weather.