Forest bathing at Clent Hills

The Clent Hills are a National Trust countryside site in north Worcestershire, between Stourbridge and Bromsgrove. They mix open grassy tops, including the Four Stones on Clent Hill, with woodland on the slopes around Nimmings Wood and Walton Hill. The views west from the summit are the famous part, but the woodland paths and the large beech tree in a clearing near the car park are what make it work for a slow walk.

Most people start at Nimmings Wood car park, which has a café and toilets and an easy access path suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Four waymarked trails go from there, from the Buzzard Trail at just over two miles to the Badger Trail at over four, with steep slopes and steps on the longer ones. The hilltops are busy and exposed on fine weekends; on those days stay in the woods on the lower slopes. Walton Hill and Adams Hill have free parking and are quieter starts.