Forest bathing at Maidenhead Thicket

Maidenhead Thicket is a National Trust wood just west of Maidenhead, on either side of the A4 Bath Road. It was once common land and wood pasture, and has grown up into scrub and mixed secondary woodland with herb-rich grassy glades. The Thicket has a long history: Henry III ordered the land beside the road to be cleared of cover for highwaymen in 1255, and a Bronze Age burial mound still lies in the woodland. The Trust has planted elms resistant to Dutch elm disease here for the rare white-letter hairstreak butterfly.

The ground is mainly level, with soft paths that get muddy after rain, and there is a butterfly trail through the rides and clearings. Snowdrops and primroses come out in early spring. Picnic benches are dotted through the Thicket, but there are no toilets. Free parking is at Pinkneys Green, on the Trust's Maidenhead Commons trail; if you link the commons and the Thicket, you will need to cross the busy A4.