Forest bathing at The Wrekin and the Ercall

The Wrekin rises above the Shropshire plain beside Telford, and its lower slopes and its neighbour, the Ercall, are clothed in woodland. The Ercall and Lawrence's Hill local nature reserve is ancient oak woodland of about 67 hectares, with ash forming much of the canopy alongside oak and sycamore, and hazel and hawthorn underneath. Old road-stone quarries in the Ercall have exposed rocks of international importance, including ripple beds around 540 million years old.

The Forest Glen car park, owned by Shropshire Wildlife Trust, sits at the foot of the main track up the Wrekin and gets busy at weekends; the free parking on Ercall Lane by the M54 bridge is the quieter way in. Colour-coded trails run through the Ercall and Limekiln Woods, which are calmer than the main path to the summit. Wellington station is about twenty minutes' walk from the edge of the woods. Refreshments on the hill are very limited, so bring what you need.