Forest bathing at Wrest Park

Wrest Park, at Silsoe, is an English Heritage property with ninety acres of historic gardens around a nineteenth-century mansion built in the style of a French chateau. The gardens show around three hundred years of English garden design, and a long restoration project is still bringing parts of them back. For a slow walk, the part to look for is the eighteenth-century Great Garden, with its intricate woodland paths.

The house, café and play area are the busy end, so head out into the Great Garden and the woodland paths, where it is easier to find a bench to yourself. The café is in the Walled Garden, with indoor and outdoor seating. This is a gated, paid site with set opening days, usually Wednesday to Sunday, so check before you travel. It is a good choice when you want gentle, well-kept paths and a café within reach.