Forest bathing in West Sussex

West Sussex runs from the chalk Downs to the High Weald, and the woods change with it. Kingley Vale near Chichester is a national nature reserve of ancient yews, some of the oldest trees in Britain, above West Stoke. The Slindon estate near Arundel has National Trust beech woods on the chalk. In the north, St Leonard's Forest east of Horsham is Forestry England Scots pine, birch and oak on the Weald's sandy ridges, and Wakehurst at Ardingly pairs Kew's botanic collection with native woodland.

A session is slow, small and simple: two to three hours with a guide, a handful of invitations to use your senses, and long pauses in which to do very little. Yew woods are dark and still in a way that broadleaf woods are not, so Kingley Vale offers something distinct, while the Wealden forests are easy to reach from Crawley and Horsham. Each guide's profile shows their dates and prices.

St Leonard's Forest is a straightforward first visit, with the free Roosthole car park on Hammerpond Road and wide forest tracks. Buchan Country Park on the edge of Crawley has a countryside centre, free parking and hard-surfaced paths.