Forest bathing at Wenlock Edge

Wenlock Edge is a long limestone escarpment running south-west from Much Wenlock, in the Shropshire Hills National Landscape. Deciduous woodland, much of it ancient, covers the steep slopes, with hazel in the understorey, wide sunny rides and wildflower meadows breaking it up. The National Trust looks after a large stretch, and the old quarries along the Edge are full of fossils of sea creatures some 425 million years old.

The car parks at Much Wenlock and Presthope are the usual starts, and there is a bird hide near Presthope. Two main tracks run along the Edge for about six miles end to end and are suitable for wheels, which makes it easy to walk out a little way, find a quiet patch of wood and stop. The meadows such as Ippikin's are best in early summer for orchids. Paths on the slopes are steep and slippery after rain, while the main tracks stay firmer.