Forest bathing in County Armagh

County Armagh is orchard country in the north and hills in the south, and its woods reflect that. Gosford Forest Park at Markethill, the first conservation forest park in Northern Ireland, has beech and oak around a castle and a deer park. Slieve Gullion Forest Park near Newry wraps conifer and old broadleaf around the mountain, with a courtyard, cafe and a forest drive to the summit car park. Peatlands Park near Dungannon mixes birch and willow woodland with raised bog and boardwalks, and Clare Glen at Tandragee is a wooded gorge along the Cusher.

Sessions in Armagh's woods are two or three hours in a small group, walking slowly along one path and spending much of the time sitting, with a guide offering simple ways to notice what is around you. The bog woodland at Peatlands is unusual and quiet even at weekends. Each guide's profile below gives their dates and prices.

Slieve Gullion is the easiest introduction: free parking at the Courtyard, a cafe and a level forest trail before the drive climbs. Gosford has a large car park and wide, well-kept paths through the beech, and Peatlands has a visitor centre, car park and flat boardwalks.