Ancient: Reviving the Woods That Made Britain

WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING'A wonderful ramble beneath the boughs' Chris Packham'Brilliant and highly readable' John Wright'Spellbinding. A thrilling account' James Fox'Passionate, knowledgeable and immersive' Tristan GooleyStep into the woods, and discover the trees that made BritainAncient woods are Britain's richest habitats: rare fragments of our landscape that teem with life from soil to canopy. They live in our collective imagination as quiet places, best left pristine and untouched. But their story has always been one of interdependence with people. Now, as ever, these woods - including remnants of the primeval 'wildwood' - need the thoughtful intervention of humans to survive.

With the benefit of over twenty years' experience rehabilitating ancient woodland - from the Lakes to the Peak District, by way of suburban London's hidden gems - Luke Barley brings us deep into this hidden world to reveal majestic oaks, freshly coppiced hazels, endangered limes, and the passionate individuals tending them for future generations. As modern woodlanders judiciously cut and fell, the flood of fresh light brings new life and hope to these irreplaceable natural jewels.

With clear-sighted passion and lyrical prose, Barley reveals what we stand to gain, as individuals and as a society, by rekindling our ancient connection with these special places.

Author: Luke Barley
Format: Hardback
Pages: 320
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
Published: 5 March 2026
ISBN: 9781805222231