Forest bathing at Pembrey Forest

Pembrey Forest is one of Britain's rare sand dune forests: a large pine wood on the dunes of the Carmarthenshire coast west of Llanelli. The Forestry Commission planted it between 1929 and 1954 to replace woodland felled in the two World Wars. Pine needles and sand make soft, quiet ground, and the forest is good for songbirds, birds of prey and butterflies, including a colony of grizzled skippers.

Most people start from car park 1 in Pembrey Country Park, next to the forest. The waymarked Pines and Shells Trail is about four and a half miles on sandy tracks and forest roads, following old railway lines from a former ammunition factory past ruined bunkers and blast tunnels. There are benches and picnic tables along the way, so it is easy to break it up. Orchids and wildflowers line the paths in late spring and early summer. The Wales Coast Path runs through the forest if you want to finish on the beach.