Forest bathing at Markshall Estate

Markshall, just off the A120 near Coggeshall, is a 200-acre arboretum and garden set within a larger estate of ancient woodland and farmland, cared for by a charitable trust. The arboretum is laid out by region, so you can walk from native Essex countryside into plantings of Asian and North American trees, and into a Gondwanaland area where Europe's largest planting of Wollemi pines grows among eucalyptus. There is an 18th-century walled garden too. It suits a slow, curious visit, stopping to look at bark, needles and leaves you won't see in an ordinary wood.

You start at the visitor centre, in a restored Essex barn with a tea room and shop. Beyond the gardens and arboretum, walks lead into older woodland such as Coach House Wood, where paths are earthy, uneven and muddy after rain, so sturdy footwear helps. The estate is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays, with last admission in the early afternoon. Dogs must be on a lead throughout most of the estate.