13. Products made from plants: surprising stories with Jonathan Drori
Woodland Walks - The Woodland Trust Podcast
You might look at everyday items in a different light after this episode, as we hear best-selling author and Woodland Trust ambassador, Jonathan Drori CBE, reveal some of the fascinating things we make with plants. From the well-known coffee bean to the tree bark that’s used in spacecraft, he shares some of the amazing relationships between familiar objects and the natural world as we meet beneath a beautiful beech tree on Parliament Hill in London. These stories and more feature in Jonathan’s latest book, The Stuff That Stuff Is Made Of, which aims to spark an interest in nature for...
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12. Bradgate Park, Leicester: home to a Tree of the Year 2025 contender
Woodland Walks - The Woodland Trust Podcast
Join us at Bradgate Park in Leicester with Jules Acton, author, former podcast guest and Trust ambassador, while our regular host Adam enjoys a summer holiday. We meet senior park ranger Matt who gives us a tour as he explains his role in caring for the site and its amazing trees. We’ve come to the park to see one in particular: a magnificent 830-year-old oak. It's in the running for Tree of the Year 2025. This year's contest celebrates our cultural connections with trees, shining a light on those that are local landmarks, sources of passion, inspiration and creativity. Find out...
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11. A rainforest ramble with Tinuke Oyediran
Woodland Walks - The Woodland Trust Podcast
Tinuke Oyediran is on a mission to explore all of the UK’s temperate rainforests, so for our latest episode, we showed her around magical Bovey Valley Woods in Devon. Tinuke is an adventurer and former professional roller skater, and was a contestant on the BBC’s Survivor UK show. She’s really passionate about nature, pushing boundaries and sharing her experiences to educate and inspire online communities. As we take a riverside ramble through the rainforest, we hear Tinuke on her wild adventures, the healing powers of nature and her efforts to address the lack of representation in the...
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10. A Notting Hill woodland garden with Danny Clarke
Woodland Walks - The Woodland Trust Podcast
Our latest episode comes from a rather unexpected venue: a former Chelsea Flower Show garden! Now located in London’s Notting Hill, it’s where we meet Danny Clarke, garden designer, TV presenter, and self-confessed tree hugger. As we explore the public woodland-themed garden, Danny explains how it tells the stories of injustice against humans and nature. He created the garden as part of his work with Grow2Know, a charity dedicated to making nature more appealing and accessible to a wider audience. It’s a subject close to his heart and as he tells us about his childhood and the meaning...
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9. Buckland Wood, Devon: reviving a rare rainforest
Woodland Walks - The Woodland Trust Podcast
Buckland Wood is no ordinary wood. This is magical temperate rainforest, a rare habitat not just in the UK but in the world. Cloaked in lush lichens and mosses, dotted with stone walls and bridges and with a beautiful river rambling through, it already looks and feels like a special place. But the Trust has big plans for its future. Join us to explore with rainforest guru Sam, who tells us about the bid to restore this globally important site and its huge potential to connect people with nature, store carbon and boost biodiversity. Hear why temperate rainforests are so special, along with pine...
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8. Spotting signs of spring: why noticing nature boosts wellbeing and supports science
Woodland Walks - The Woodland Trust Podcast
Spring is in the air! Join us at Londonthorpe Wood, Lincolnshire to enjoy the wellbeing benefits of woods while using all our senses to check for signs of spring. We seek out frogspawn, song thrushes and blackthorn blossom for Nature's Calendar, a citizen science phenology project which tracks the effects of weather and climate change on nature across the UK. Keeping your eyes and ears peeled to record for Nature’s Calendar doesn’t just support science. Discover new research that shows how engaging all our senses on a woodland walk is good for our wellbeing, and how different levels...
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7. Christmas in the Cairngorms: visiting reindeer and Glencharnoch Wood
Woodland Walks - The Woodland Trust Podcast
Grab your hot chocolate (or mulled wine!) and get into the festive spirit with our Christmas special as we meet some reindeer, talk Christmas trees and explore a small but mighty wood with huge value for nature in the snowy Cairngorms National Park. We discover fascinating reindeer facts with Tilly and friends at The Cairngorm Reindeer Centre, and step into a winter wonderland at nearby Glencharnoch Wood with site manager Ross. We learn what makes a good Christmas tree, how the wood is helping to recover the old Caledonian pine forest of Scotland, why the site is so important to the community...
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6. A woodland walk with adventurer Al Humphreys
Woodland Walks - The Woodland Trust Podcast
Join us for a woodland wander with adventurer, author and tree lover, Al Humphreys. The 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year has cycled round the world, rowed the Atlantic and walked across India, but now focuses on pursuits closer to home. Pioneering the concept of microadventures, Al explains how exploring small pockets of nature in our neighbourhoods helps us to better connect with and care for the environment. He speaks of enabling young people to embrace wild places, and encourages us to take time to be curious and astonished as we discover new places on our doorstep. Don't...
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5. Ashenbank Wood, Kent: an ancient woodland under threat
Woodland Walks - The Woodland Trust Podcast
Step into the heart of an ancient woodland as we explore Ashenbank Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest rich in history and teeming with wildlife. Woodland has stood here for centuries, but this haven is under threat. A proposed tunnel project, the Lower Thames Crossing, could harm the irreplaceable ecosystem and ancient trees here. Jack, leader of our woods under threat team, explains what’s at stake and the challenges and strategies involved in trying to maintain a delicate balance between development and nature. A decision on whether the project goes ahead is due from Government in...
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4. Magnificent oaks: wildlife, folklore and competition contestants
Woodland Walks - The Woodland Trust Podcast
Did you know oak supports over 2,300 species of wildlife? Discover this and more fascinating facts in our episode dedicated to the nation’s favourite tree. We join Trust experts, Jules and Kate, at , near Grantham, to find some fascinating growths on oak trees, known as galls, and learn why hunks of deadwood are so important. We then visit the star of the show and 'Lincolnshire's best kept secret' - the astonishing 1,000-year-old Bowthorpe Oak. It's one of 12 amazing oaks in the running for 2024 . Which one will you vote for? Don't forget to rate us and subscribe! Learn more about the...
info_outlineOn a delightful spring morning at Marden Park, just inside the M25 in East Surrey, we enjoy a walk with expert site manager Nick. He fills us in on how nature and people are benefiting from this special place and explains some of the challenges here too, including dealing with the effects of ash dieback and climate change.
Wildlife is thriving here thanks to the mix of woodland both young and old, veteran trees, rare chalk grassland and more. We see butterflies and signs of badgers during our visit, and volunteer Celia tells us all about efforts to help the endangered dormouse as part of the important National Dormouse Monitoring Programme.
Don't forget to rate us and subscribe! Learn more about the Woodland Trust at woodlandtrust.org.uk