Forest bathing in Cumbria

Cumbria has some of the best woodland in England for this. The Lake District valleys hold Atlantic oak woods, mossy and fern-filled, with Borrowdale's Johnny Wood and Great Wood near Keswick among the finest. Grizedale Forest between Coniston Water and Windermere is Forestry England's big mixed forest with sculptures in the trees, and Whinlatter above Bassenthwaite is England's only true mountain forest, mostly conifer with wide views. Away from the lakes, Smardale Gill near Kirkby Stephen is a Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserve of ash and hazel along an old railway, and Talkin Tarn near Brampton has mixed woodland around the water.

Forest bathing here means moss, lichen and the sound of becks. A session is two to three hours of very slow walking and long pauses, often beside water, with a hot drink at the end, and the oak woods are at their greenest in May and June. See each guide's profile for their own dates, venues and prices.

Grizedale and Whinlatter both have visitor centres, cafes and surfaced trails, with pay and display parking. Borrowdale's woods are on the 78 bus from Keswick, so you can get there without a car.