Forest bathing at Padley Gorge and the Longshaw Estate

Padley Gorge is the wooded heart of the National Trust's Longshaw estate on the eastern edge of the Peak District. The Trust describes it as ancient oak woodland, and the estate around it adds gritstone crags and heather moorland. Burbage Brook runs down the length of the gorge over rocks and small falls, so there is the sound of water almost everywhere you stop. It is a place to sit on a boulder for a while rather than march through.

Most people start from the Woodcroft car park or the Longshaw café and drop down to the brook. You can also walk up from Grindleford station: the Trust describes a 1.5 mile uphill path through the gorge to the café. The lower gorge gets busy on sunny weekends, so early mornings and weekdays are quieter. Underfoot it is uneven, with rocks, roots, some steps and stiles, and paths can be heavy going after rain.