Forest bathing at Pengelli Forest

Pengelli Forest, between Newport and Cardigan, is the largest block of ancient oak woodland in west Wales, and parts of it may have been wooded since the end of the last Ice Age. It is a National Nature Reserve looked after by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. Oak grows with birch, ash and alder, over hazel, hawthorn and holly. The wood was worked for centuries for timber and fuel, and dormice, polecats, tawny owls and pied flycatchers live here.

A short walk of just over two miles follows well-defined paths round the wood; they can be muddy, and the ground rises and falls. It takes about an hour and a half, more if you stop. Wood anemones carpet the floor in spring, honeysuckle scents summer evenings, and purple hairstreak butterflies fly high in the canopy later in the year. There is no public transport and there are no facilities, so come prepared.