Forest bathing at Ashridge Estate

The Ashridge Estate is a large National Trust estate on the Chiltern Hills, on the Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire border. Much of it is beech and oak woodland, crossed by more than 80 miles of paths. Fallow deer are a long-standing part of its landscape and history, and a quiet, slow walk is the best way to come across them. The Bridgewater Monument, a granite column of 172 steps beside the visitor centre and café, is the landmark most people head for.

The visitor centre and Monument Café are the busiest part of the estate, so walk a little way out along the woodland paths and you will soon have the trees largely to yourself. Large areas of bluebells flower in April and May; the season is short and popular, and the Trust asks visitors to keep to paths to protect them. In autumn the Golden Valley, on the Trust's Capability Brown walk, is the popular place for colour. The path around the meadow is suitable for wheelchairs, and powered mobility vehicles can be hired in the warmer months.