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8 enchanting rainforests to explore in the UK

UK rainforests are even rarer than their tropical counterparts, and just as beautiful. Brimming with wildlife, entwined with local history and overflowing with magic, here are eight of the best to explore.

Charlotte Varela  •  12 Mar 2025

Trees woods and wildlife

Wood blewit

Pastel-toned and edible with a magical twist. Wood blewit has a blue to violet-tinged cap and gills when young, with pale pink spores. It sometimes grows in circles called ‘fairy rings’, which can appear overnight and were once thought to indicate that magic was at work.

Trees woods and wildlife

Common earthball

Warty, poisonous, explosive. Common earthball might look like a potato, but it is not for eating.

Trees woods and wildlife

Bullfinch

Shy but striking. Bullfinches bring a brilliant burst of colour to the UK’s woods. The species depends on trees for much of its food, feeding on seeds and buds.

Trees woods and wildlife

Blue ground beetle

Rare jewel. Treetop adventurer. The blue ground beetle is found at just a handful of sites in England and Wales, scaling trees under cover of darkness in search of slugs.

Trees woods and wildlife

House martin

Skilled architects with a penchant for moulding mud. House martins visit the UK to breed during the summer months. Named as such because they often nest on the side of houses, these small birds are sadly in decline.

Trees woods and wildlife

Ancient woodland

Home to myth and legend, where folk tales began. It fuelled our ancestors and still houses thousands of species. Ancient woodland has grown and adapted with native wildlife, yet what remains only covers 2.5% of the UK.

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Lauren Child helps children smile with free trees

Much-loved children’s author Lauren Child has urged schools and community groups across the UK to take advantage of the Woodland Trust’s free trees scheme.