Forest bathing at Chatelherault Country Park

Chatelherault was the Dukes of Hamilton's estate, with a hunting lodge at its centre and the medieval Cadzow Forest deer park around it. The Cadzow Oaks here are up to 800 years old. Below the lodge the River Avon runs through a deep wooded gorge, and paths follow it from Hamilton towards Larkhall. In spring the gorge woods fill with bluebells and wild garlic, and dippers and grey wagtails work the river.

There are more than ten miles of paths. The short Cadzow Oaks Trail is the gentle way in and takes you straight to the old trees, which is where to stop for a while. For something longer, the Green Bridge Trail drops down past Duke's Bridge into the gorge and comes back on a level path. Some routes have steps and steep slopes. The visitor centre, café and car park are the busy end; the gorge paths are quieter.