Forest bathing at Benmore Botanic Garden

Benmore is the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's garden on the Cowal Peninsula, 120 acres set on a mountainside seven miles north of Dunoon. The visit begins along the Redwood Avenue, giant redwoods planted in 1863 and now around 50 metres tall. Beyond them the collection spreads uphill: conifers from North and South America, plants from the Himalaya and the Orient, more than 300 kinds of rhododendron and a restored Victorian fernery. It is a place built around big trees, and the scale of them slows you down.

Most people start at the entrance and walk the avenue first. The Easy Access Route follows the low-level paths, with benches at regular intervals, so you can stay near the bottom of the garden and still spend a long time among the trees. The waymarked walks that climb the hillside to the viewpoints are quieter and steeper. Spring is the time for rhododendrons; in autumn the conifers and the light carry the garden. The garden is closed in winter, so check the season before you travel.