Forest bathing in Shetland

Shetland has no native woodland to speak of; the wind sees to that, and the islands' few plantations stand out for miles. The best known are at Kergord in Weisdale, planted in the early twentieth century and now managed by the Shetland Amenity Trust as community woodland, a mix of sycamore, pine and spruce on the valley floor. Michaelswood at Aith, on the west side of the Mainland, is a community woodland planted since the late 1990s in memory of a local musician, with paths, ponds and a car park. Smaller plantings sit at the Loch of Voe and the Burn of Valayre near Brae.

Be honest about what forest bathing means here. A session is a slow two or three hours with a few other people in woods that would count as small anywhere else, and the shelter and birdsong inside them after the open hill outside are the whole point. Each guide's profile shows dates and prices.

Michaelswood is the easy start, with its own car park off the Aith road, level paths and open access all year. Kergord's woods lie along the road through Weisdale, with places to pull in and paths among the trees.