Forest bathing at Anston Stones Wood

Anston Stones Wood is a 34-hectare wooded limestone gorge by the village of Anston, south-east of Rotherham. It has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1955 and is also a Local Nature Reserve, recognised as one of the best examples of limestone woodland in South Yorkshire. The limestone gives it a different character from the gritstone woods further west, with lime-loving shrubs such as buckthorn among the trees.

There is deep history here too. Dead Man's Cave, carved into the limestone, was excavated in 1867 and turned up flint tools and a reindeer bone from the Palaeolithic, and the gorge is said to have been part of a medieval smuggling route. It is a small enough wood to explore slowly in a couple of hours; expect uneven, rocky ground in the gorge and wear good boots. Kiveton Park and Kiveton Bridge are the nearest stations.