Forest bathing at Haldon Forest Park

Haldon Forest Park is Forestry England's large forest just south-west of Exeter, and it is one of the easiest places in Devon to get under the trees without much planning. There is a proper visitor hub with a café and toilets, a network of waymarked walking trails, and a wildlife hide and bird hide for sitting still and watching. It is busy with cyclists, runners and families at the hub, but the trails soon spread out.

The Discovery Trail is the gentle option: wide, mostly flat paths, plenty of benches and three sheltered viewing points with perch seating, so it suits a slow walk with frequent stops. The Raptor and Butterfly trails are rougher, with steeper slopes and some unsurfaced, uneven sections, and fewer benches. Some trails are shared with bikes and horses, so pick a quieter path once you have left the hub. There are no litter bins, so take everything home.