Forest bathing in Suffolk

Suffolk's woods fall into two camps. On the sandy Breck in the north-west, the King's Forest and the Suffolk side of Thetford Forest are Scots and Corsican pine, with West Stow and Brandon country parks on their edges. On the coastal Sandlings, Rendlesham and Tunstall Forests near Woodbridge are more pine on heath, with birch filling the gaps. The older broadleaf woods are in the clay country of the centre and south: Bradfield Woods near Bury St Edmunds is ancient coppice worked for seven hundred years, and Arger Fen near Sudbury is oak and wild cherry, both Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserves.

A guided session is an unhurried two to three hours with a small group, built around simple invitations to notice the wood with all your senses. Suffolk's pine forests have a dry, resinous quality and open floors that feel very different from the dense coppice at Bradfield, so it is worth trying both. Each guide's profile gives their dates and prices.

West Stow Country Park is the easy start, with a visitor centre, cafe and level paths into the King's Forest. Rendlesham Forest has a Forestry England car park and easy-going trails if the coast is nearer.