From hill walks and yoga to foraging and wild swimming: 12 of the best active UK retreats

These short breaks from the Inner Hebrides to Bodmin Moor offer the chance to relax and recalibrate amid beautiful natural landscapes

“My mind, usually a torrent of work stress, has fallen silent”: how I found peace on a woodland retreat

I arrived feeling soul sick and lost, but the simple acts of putting away my phone and sitting in the woods for a few days turned into something profoundly transformational

‘For tranquillity nowhere else comes close’: readers’ favourite UK retreats

An outdoor eco-spa in Wales and riverside yoga in North Yorkshire are among the highlights of our tipsters’ most revitalising breaks

‘Just strap on the footwear and walk’: a snowshoeing holiday for beginners in Bulgaria

A week conquering a new winter sport across three magical mountain ranges is both challenging and exhilarating – with hot springs and hikes providing the icing on the cake

Feel the heat: the Northern Irish beach that’s embracing Scandinavian sauna culture

The Finnish-style Hotbox is making waves on Benone Strand but Ireland has its own tradition of therapeutic ‘sweathouses’. Plus six more stylish beach saunas, from Shetland to Sussex

Smoke, sweat and tears: my initiation into Estonia’s sauna sisterhood

A powerful documentary about the Baltic state’s sauna tradition has proved a surprise hit. But what’s it like for an outsider to join this sacred and intimate space?

‘It was so exhilarating’: readers’ favourite spas and saunas in Europe

Sauna shacks on beaches and lavish spas in luxuriant grounds are among our tipsters’ pick of places to unwind, everywhere from Albania to the Irish Sea

Feel the glow: under the mountain into a radon spa in Austria

Bad Gastein’s curious attractions include tunnels where visitors can soak up low doses of natural radiation, which is claimed to help cure eczema and other ailments

‘We howled like wolves’: a running break in Scotland’s wild west

A new fitness and nature retreat in Argyll, two hours by train and ferry from Glasgow, ditches speed and calorie counts to let the countryside work its magic

I walked 1,000 miles alone through Europe – and learned that fear is the price of freedom

I take risks on solo hikes, navigating animal traps and dangerous terrain. But for a woman, men are the biggest threat. I do it to be more open to the world, in the hope it will be more open to me