Forest bathing at Gwydir Forest Park, Betws-y-Coed

Gwydir Forest Park wraps around Betws-y-Coed in the Conwy Valley, inside Eryri National Park. The hills here were once worked for lead and zinc, and old engine houses, spoil tips and small reservoirs still sit among the trees. Today it is forest again, and the short Coed Tan Dinas walk takes you past Douglas firs up to a hundred years old, which is about as good a start for forest bathing as the village offers.

Most walks begin at Pont y Pair car park in the village centre. Coed Tan Dinas is short and easy, partly on a wide boardwalk, with a picnic spot by the river. The Afon Llugwy riverside walk is longer, with a narrow and muddy section that can flood after heavy rain. For more height and fewer people, the climbs to Llyn Elsi or Llyn Parc lead up into quieter forest and small upland lakes, though both are steep. The village is busy in summer; early mornings are calmer.