Forest bathing at Wappenbury Wood

Wappenbury Wood is a 71-hectare semi-natural ancient woodland near Princethorpe, between Coventry and Leamington, looked after by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book and had its present name by the end of the 15th century, when it supplied fuel, timber and hunting. Medieval ridge and furrow, old boundary banks and the ancient track of Nunwood Lane all survive. It was nearly clear-felled in the 1940s and 1950s and has since regenerated naturally, so it is a mix of old and younger trees.

Park in the layby on Burnthurst Lane, or use the two disabled spaces on Nunwood Lane near the farm. A network of grassy rides and glades and a waymarked trail lead through the wood; the main paths suit wheelchairs and buggies but turn wet and muddy in poor weather. Keep to the main paths, as shooting rights are held by a third party. Dogs are not allowed, which keeps it quiet. Come in spring for bluebells and wood anemones, and in summer for white admiral and silver-washed fritillary butterflies.