Forest bathing at Marbury Country Park

Marbury Country Park sits at the heart of the Northwich Woodlands, on the site of a country house once owned by the Smith-Barry family. The house was used as a prisoner-of-war camp and was demolished in the 1970s; only terraces and stone walls remain. What is left is a parkland landscape of ancient woodland, an arboretum, lime avenues and streams running down to Budworth Mere.

It is one of the gentler options in Cheshire, with access for all routes as well as rougher paths that are not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The lime avenue and the arboretum are good for slow walking, and the woodland by the mere is the quieter side. Paths link on to the wider Northwich Woodlands if you want to go further. Expect firm paths on the main routes and soft, muddy ground on the woodland trails in winter.