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Having been hunted to extinction in Britain, beavers are back living, breeding and engineering our ecosytems here at 42!
Having been hunted to extinction in Britain over 400 years ago, beavers are making a welcome return! At 42 Acres we've had beavers on our land since 2016. They’ve built a breeding lodge, raised several generations of kits and helped redefine our entire ecosystem.
As a keystone species, they’ve dramatically changed our landscape, created new wetlands and provided habitats for diverse other species. They’ve ensured that water is held in our landscape for longer, improving water quality and helping to mitigate the effects of extreme weather events.
Join us for a guided walk through beaver territory, we’ll show you their work and share how we live in harmony with these extraordinary ecosystem engineers - which is not without its challenges!
Please note: Whilst this walk will be at a leisurely pace, we will be heading into the woods and the ground is not level. We cannot accommodate dogs on this experience.
The experience is exclusive and complimentary to guests staying with us on a Self-Guided Retreat Package. There is no need to book. Martin or Raf will meet you in the dining room at the Hermitage.
Martin came with the property when Seth first started 42 acres, having worked for the previous owners. Like his great white shark namesake, Martin does not thrive in captivity and enjoys the freedom of working in the landscape, in nature, and away from the enclosure of walls. Martin is our area lead for grounds and maintenance, and in his spare time enjoys making quirky garden furniture from driftwood, some of which you can see in the walled garden.
Raf is a member of the maintenance team, and our 42 acres bee keeper. As a Slavic Pagan, he enjoys observing and being part of nature as well as being part of the fire-cooking team which gives him the opportunity to connect with his hobby - bushcraft. He says, "Most of us at 42 Acres have found our own space here - what we are doing is growing food and connecting to nature, building community and making our own big family."
Martin White
Rafal Bartnicki
The Hermitage at 42 Acres
We share fortnightly happenings, stories from our land and news from our pioneering rewilding projects.
