Forest bathing

Dive in and don’t hold your nose:

STEP INTO THE summer forest and let its bosky green envelop you. Feel your shoulders unknot as you take a deep breath and the world beyond falls away. In Japan, they call it shinrin-yoku, or forest-bathing, and numerous guided trips are now popping up across Britain. But it’s as simple as walking into a woodland and soaking it up with all your five senses. It’s listening to the wind in the trees, from the bustling rustle of poplars to the ocean-sigh of the pines. It’s smelling the clean, earthy fragrance of the forest floor and the resin tang of conifer. It’s touching the roughness of oak bark and the softness of moss. It’s noticing every different shade of green, every varied shape of leaf, every flower, every bird. And taste? Well, the forest has long been a larder for humankind but you do have to know your nettles (good for pesto) from your deadly nightshade.

Researchers in Japan have discovered that being among the leaves lowers blood pressure and levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and also that essential oils released by the trees, known as phytoncides, boost the immune system. And the wonder of the forest is it doesn’t have to extend much more than a few square metres to magic you into its verdant world, and even in the most familiar woodland there is always something new to discover as the seasons play out. Spot these sylvan portals on Ordnance Survey maps, or see the Woodland Trust, the Wildlife Trusts or the Forestry Commission for wooded reserves near you.