Forest bathing at Tunstall Forest

Tunstall Forest lies north-east of Woodbridge, off the road between Tunstall and Snape, and is run by Forestry England. It is a mix of conifer plantation and belts of broadleaved trees, opening out into heathland that joins Tunstall and Blaxhall Common. The heath is home to ground-nesting nightjar and woodlark in summer. There are no visitor facilities to speak of, and that is the appeal: it is a working forest with long, quiet tracks and few people.

Parking is free and the forest is open 24 hours a day. Sandgalls car park in the north is the start of the Viking Trail, a single-track mountain bike loop, but both are closed for a year from August 2026 for thinning work, so use the other forest car parks. In spring and summer keep dogs close on the heath to protect the nesting birds. Next door, Captain's Wood has a separate three-kilometre walking trail with benches, where roe and fallow deer are often seen; dogs are not allowed there.