Free Forest Bathing For The Under 30's

I'm really pleased to be able to offer free Forest Bathing Sessions in the Cairngorms National Park to those under 30 years old.

When I trained as a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, part of my goal was to ensure those who could really benefit from Forest Bathing could, with no barriers stopping them doing so. The funding we have is in place until 31 March and there are several sessions happening between Grantown on Spey, Loch Garten, Loch Vaa and Kingussie plus a remotely guided session for those who are unable to join a physical session.

Forest Bathing, also known as Shinrin-yoku which literally translates to "take the atmosphere of the forest" it is the practice of immersing yourself in nature to enhance your health and wellbeing. No swimsuits required as we are not in the water swimming, but ‘bathing’ in the awesome goodness that trees release into the atmosphere; reaping the benefits from magic little things called ‘phytoncides’ and receiving mental calmness from the fractal patterns, vibrant shades of green and calming blues around us – what better place to do this than the Cairngorms National Park!

Places are limited to 10 people on each session and they really are free of charge (normal price £16 per person) and anyone aged 30 or under is able to attend. Those under 18 years old, or vulnerable adults do need to be accompanied by an adult.

A typical session will be 1 and 1/4 hours and you can expect to walk in an unrushed manner (or ‘tree-speed’ as we call it) for up to 1 mile. Please click here for more information about what you can expect from a session.

During the remotely guided session everyone will join a Microsoft Teams call and you can either be outside on your own walk and stay inside with your favourite pot plant or looking outside to the garden etc.

To book please follow the links below, or contact me, Cath on either email or phone on 07910 441 633 if you would like to have a chat beforehand and find out more.

Saturday 26 Feb 10:30 (Loch Garten) click here to book

Saturday 26 Feb 15:00 (Grantown on Spey Health Woods) click here to book

Sunday 13 Mar 10:30 (Insh Marshes, Kingussie) click here to book

Saturday 26 Mar 05:30 (Loch Vaa) click here to book

Saturday 26 Mar 10:30 (Grantown on Spey Health Woods) click here to book

Feedback from past participants:

"Thank you so much for a lovely peaceful session - so sorry I was late into it - I had a terrible tension headache which has now subsided so thank you. "

"Really enjoyed the session. It made me far more aware of nature and how much more you can get back from it in such a short time. A time of quietness and calm to soak up the surroundings."

This project was made possible by a grant from the Cairngorms Youth Fund, a fund run by young people for young people. The fund was delivered by the Cairngorm for more information about what you can expect from a session.in future youth-led activity with the National Park, get in touch with the Cairngorms Youth Action Team.