Forest bathing at Ebernoe Common

Ebernoe Common, five miles north of Petworth, is a 157 hectare Sussex Wildlife Trust reserve of ancient woodland, wood pasture with mature trees, grazed commons, streams and ponds. Centuries of commoners grazing and gathering shaped it, and the remains of brickworks, clay pits and an iron furnace site are still found in the woods. Fourteen of the UK's seventeen breeding bat species have been recorded here, and more than 1,000 kinds of fungi.

Park by Ebernoe church, off Streel's Lane, and walk straight into the trees. The glades are the place to stop in spring, when the birdsong is loud and many songbirds are easier to hear than see. Autumn brings fungi everywhere. Paths are muddy and sloping, with some steps, and cattle graze the open commons, so keep dogs on leads.